Jul17
I hope all of you are following our meal plan template to the “T”!
That’s what it’s for…a sure fire way to do what you say you want to do:
“Lose at least 10 pounds.”
Just follow the plan…all you have to do is make sure the food is in your home and then eat them!
You know, you should NEVER have any waste of the veggies you buy every week. If you haven’t tried the “go to” menu quick veggie soup, give it a try! It’s a really easy way to use up those veggies. And, if you haven’t put this together yet, you could drink that soup ANY time you want during the day and not sabotage your weight loss efforts. It’s only veggies and broth. Free foods 
The goal I have for you this week is to load your life with greens! I hope I’ve been getting this across to you all, but want to take a few minutes to focus on why.
Clearly science says the following through numerous studies:
Following the plan will help you:
“Achieve optimal weight, eliminate chronic health problems, dramatically
reduce disease risk, regain energy you may have lost years ago, and enjoy a
newfound positive attitude and outlook on life! ”
Now who doesn’t want all of that…and just by changing your eating habits to include more veggies!
At the end of our 8 weeks together, you will find the following daily regimen quite easy to incorporate, but you STILL have to plan for it. It won’t happen on it’s own.
1. 2 lbs. of vegetables, 50-70 percent raw, half of them above-ground greens
2. 3-5 raw fruits
3. 1/2 -1 cup whole grains (cooked and/or sprouted)
4. 1/2- 1 cup legumes (cooked and/or sprouted)
5. 3-6 Tbsp. of fats found in vegetables, nuts, seeds, and the highest-quality
oils that are antioxidant- and lignin-rich, with omega fats (3, 6, and 9)
and essential fatty acids
6. Moderate amounts of lean, free range or organic protein sources.
This list is simple and straight forward. But here’s the adventure: You get the opportunity to learn to make these lifestyle changes in the company of MANY other delightful personalities. It’s more than a lifestyle change towards optimal health; it is a move to an adventure for your taste buds!
You’re going to have an opportunity to adopt a whole new repertoire of main dishes, snacks, salads, breakfasts and even smoothies. You will also learn to develop a new set of skills that will
enhance your family’s wellness.
Start eating those salads and green smoothies! Get your 2 pounds of veggies in today!
Tomorrow’s workout will be based on the Bosu’! Nothing like a little balance training!
Come ready to work!
Bring a green smoothie!
You will be receiving your first “challenge” in our competition tomorrow. Hope you’ll be able to get it done!
Enjoying the journey,
Tags: boot camp, bootcamp, circuit training, Lakeland Boot Camp, Lakeland Personal Trainer, Nutrition, Strategic Boot Camp, Strategic Wellness
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Jul14
Dodgeball, That’s what!
Hey Recruits!
These weeks are flying by!
Tomorrow at Strategic Boot Camp we will be challenging both your focus, and your determination.
You will be performing a 5 exercise circuit 4 different times. Each time you will be pushing yourself to beat the number of reps you did the first time.
You will also be participating in a riveting game of Dodgeball. If (or when) you get out, you will be consigned to exercising in a particular fashion until the game is finished! It will bring back your childhood. Consider it your anti-aging supplement for the day.
I was re-reading one of my favorite books this evening and came across this quote:
“Take responsibility for your body and learn to say “no”. Just because you used to go with your colleague for a frozen yogurt every day at 3:00 or for a drink and a snack after work, doesn’t mean you can’t change those habits. Sure, your colleague might find it disconcerting at first, they they’ll get over it. Don’t take a cookie just because it’s there, or someone says you should. Likewise, don’t beat yourself up if you DO take one. Just be very cognizant of when you are acting our of old habit rather than transitioning responsibly.”
Hey, that’s what we’re doing…transitioning responsibly.
Last week my goal for you was to have you learn to follow a plan and become very aware of your food choices and portion control.
This week my goal for you is to add MANY more greens and veggies to your life while eating “real food” full of great nutrients, still in controlled portions.
Next week…oh. You’ll just have to wait and see. It has something to do with Complex Carbs.
Tomorrow you’ll get the treat of hearing more from Keith Klein and learning about “The Shift”.
Don’t worry. No laying or sitting around while listening. Abs or stretching is on the books.
Have a fantastic night!
Enjoying the journey,
~Whitney
Tags: boot camp, Florida, High Intensity, Lakeland, Making a Workout, Rapid Fat Loss, RN, Strategic Boot Camp, Whitney Cabrera BSN
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Jul12
This article is written by John Berardi, one of my mentors, and leading brilliant minds in physiology and nutritional research. Enjoy!
“Exercise Without Diet
A few weeks back I shared with you an article called “When Exercise Doesn’t Work.” And in this article, I reviewed some fascinating new research demonstrating that, without a dietary intervention, exercise doesn’t have much of an impact on body composition.
Even to the tune of 6 hours per week…Even when it’s high intensity exercise….participants following an exercise plan, without being cognizant of their nutritional intake, only tend to lose an extra pound of fat vs. those folks who do nothing for the same 12-16 weeks.
Disheartening, I know. But oh so true. Especially when supported by this new information I’m going to share with you today.
More Support For the “No Diet Hypothesis”
Just yesterday, I received an interesting email from Dr Gary Homann, a faculty member at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, MO. (Some of you may recall that we collaborated with Dr Homann a few years back and came up with some interesting insights, spotlighted here: Long Haul Training). Gary, intrigued by my last article, shared with me the results from a very telling study he completed back in 2003. Here’s what he found.
Two hours a day and they still got fatter!
In Dr Homann’s study, 56 girls between the ages of 14 and 17 – all of whom were in a program run by the South Dakota Department of Corrections – volunteered to get involved in a 4-6 month wellness program. The idea was to have the girls exercise for about 14 hours per week (2 hours per day consisting of various activities such as hiking, running, circuit training, step aerobics and basketball) while following the USDA Food Guide, as it appeared in 2003.
At the beginning of the study and again at the end, a host of measures were recorded, including:
* A step test and timed mile for cardiovascular fitness
* Height, weight, body mass index (BMI), skinfolds (for % body fat), waist and hips circumference for body composition
* Shuttle run for agility
* Standing jump, sit-ups and bench press test for muscular strength and endurance
* And sit-and-reach and straddle tests for flexibility
So, what happened? Well, as expected, cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and endurance, agility, and flexibility all improved. That’s great!
What’s not so great is that body composition measures worsened. Instead of losing body weight and fat, these girls, on average, gained 6lbs, increased their waist circumference by 1/2 and inch, increased their hip circumference by 3/4 of an inch, and increased their body fat by over 1/2 a percentage point.
Now, I don’t know about you. But this isn’t exactly what I’d expect to happen if I went on a 14 hour per week exercise binge!
Exercise + The Food Pyramid
As you’d imagine, I’m kinda disappointed to learn that it’s actually possible to gain body fat when exercising 2 hours per day, every single day. You’re probably disappointed too. However, what’s even more disappointing is the fact that it’s possible while actually following a nutrition plan!
Remember, participants in this study were following the recommendations of the USDA – you know, that famous food pyramid that everyone talks about. The one that dietitians across the land recommend that we follow. The one recommending 6-11 servings of breads, cereals, and pastas each day.
(Now, it is true that the USDA has since changed their recommendations – for the better. But can you blame me if I’m a little gun shy on backing their new recommendations? Especially after the checkered history of the last food pyramid?)
Questions
Now, you might have some questions about the study design…as I did when first reading it.
After all, maybe the girls didn’t follow the USDA plan to a “T”…
Or maybe they were going thru puberty at the time of the study and that explains the fat gain…
Or maybe being put in a detention center isn’t exactly conducive to fat loss in the first place.
Well, after speaking with Dr. Homann, I’m pretty confident that these factors can’t really explain away the fact that these girls exercised for 2 hours every single day, while following the USDA’s guidelines, and got fatter.
For starters, the girls were living in a detention center and they were provided all their meals. So there wasn’t much room to cheat.
Further, the girls were starting out quite over fat. Indeed, their average body fat was just over 30% to begin with. So they did have fat to lose. And their fat gain can’t be explained by simply “getting older” or “puberty”.
Let’s Bottom Line This
I could probably go on and on here…but I’ll spare you that. Instead, I’d like to simple say the following. The data are pouring in.And they paint a pretty clear picture. If you want to look better, feel better, and perform at the top of your game, you definitely have to exercise…(although 14 hours a week probably isn’t necessary).
But, even more importantly, you’ve got to look after your nutrition – specifically what you eat, how much you eat, and when you eat it. Indeed, without the right nutritional intake, you simply can’t expect inspiring, noticeable results. Heck, in some cases, you might even expect to get worse! So don’t leave your nutrition up to chance.”
I hope you enjoyed this article. This is what I do for fun Anyhow, in Strategic Boot Camp you are leaving nothing to chance. Your exercise, homework and nutrition have all been carefully planned to bring you the best results. All you need to do is follow it. 100% compliance is NOT necessary to obtain great results, but 90% is.
It’s going to be a great week! I can hardly wait to see all of the success tomorrow night at our 7:30 weigh in!
Tomorrow’s workout is called “Excuse Me!”
Probably due to all of the Burpees.
See you early or on time!
Enjoying the journey,
Whitney
Tags: Lakeland Boot Camp, Lakeland Personal Trainer, Nutritional Importance, Rapid Fat Loss, Sunscreen Dangers
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Jul9
Aileen "After".....so far. Scroll Down to see Aileen "Before".
After a great boot camp yesterday I went home and when in my closet and I pulled all of my size 22 -20 clothes out. I was amazed to see the pile of clothes I pulled out of my closet. I can’t see it daily but realized that I have come a long way from where I was. It reminds me that I am getting there but need to be consistant and patient. Today my calves have turned against me. I am hurting today from our trapize exercise. Doing good on my food and at 5:30am did my homework. To all of you who question “if it’s working?”….take it from a 47 year old woman who went from needing to lose 125 POUNDS now down to 97, from a size 22 to a size 16.” Every morning is a struggle with fighting with my mind and my body to get up…..when I go…. I am the biggest girl there, I am last in just about every exercise Whitney has set up, I can’t do a lot of the exercises, and I am just now able to run a little bit. When I started I couldn’t hardly walk fast. There have been many times I have wanted to say “this is just too hard, I just can’t do this anymore”. Then with much prayer, the Lord reminds me that I can’t keep up with the class. I am majority over weight and with that comes restrictions but I’m there and each time I get better and stronger…and one day….I will be able to keep up with the class and maybe even beat some of you, I can shop at the front of the store instead of the back where all the “WOMEN” clothes are…but most of all, food wont be a constant battle but a enjoyment to pick new and healthier food. So I hope that encouraged you today. Didn’t mean to write a book, this was just what was on my heart tonight….I may need one of you one day to encourage me.
Aileen's "Before" Pic, at size 22 with her hubby and son, Ronnie.
Tags: Daily Struggle, Florida, Lakeland, Lakeland Boot Camp, Lakeland Personal Trainer, Summer Meltdown Contest, Weight Loss
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Jul3
Happy Fourth of July!
I hope everyone is enjoying family time, gearing up for some great fireworks and maybe some time at the beach. Knowledge is powerful…or can be if you choose to let it affect your thinking or behavior.
The EWG (Environmental Working Group) is a non-profit group dedicated to providing useful resources to consumers while simultaneously pushing for national policy change that would protect us. I thought you might be intrigued by their newest studies on Sunscreen. How does YOUR sunscreen rate?
Check out the sunscreen information here:
Sunscreens 2009
Now, what will you do with this knowledge? Be empowered! Make a change. Get a good sunscreen for your summer in the sun!
In my next newsletter I’ll be writing to you soon on some very interesting research on the connections between sunscreen chemicals and skin cancer. It may be a real eye-opener.
Tags: EWG, Lakeland Boot Camp, Lakeland Personal Trainer, Sunscreen Dangers
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