Posts Tagged ‘boot camp’
Dec21
A while ago, while studying for my Wellcoaching certification, I ran across an article called The Making of a Corporate Athlete. The basic premise was that sustained high achievement demands physical and emotional strength as well as a sharp intellect. To bring mind, body, and spirit to peak condition, executives need to learn what world-class athletes already know: recovering energy is as important as expending it.
Interestingly enough, the article applied the principles of High Intensity Interval Training that I use to physically train my clients to the executive work day.
It recommended that after periods of intense focus on a singular task, you take a short break, get up and walk around, hydrate, or eat something of nutritional value, fueling yourself for the next intentional focused task. The research showed that it is a simple and easy way to increase work efficiency and decrease stress levels!
I love simple!
Exercise is extremely beneficial to our productivity at work as it increases the blood and therefore oxygen flow to our brains, and releases those ‘feel good hormones,’ endorphins, keeping us in a good mood.
Here are some simple, practical ways that we can introduce more physical activity into our work life.
Choose one or two that you can incorporate seamlessly.
1. Use your legs!- walk or bike to work. Many of us actually live relatively close to our jobs. Sometimes the traffic is so bad, that it would actually be a quicker commute to use your own horse power, be it cycling or walking. Be sure to wear appropriate shoes. You can stash a spare pair at the office.
2. Stair climbing – take the stairs instead of the elevator. Stair climbing burns significantly more calories than jogging at a moderate pace for half of the time.
3. Replace your chair with a physioball – This is one of my favorite tips for my executive clients! Using a ball as your “chair” forces you to work the core, thereby improving balance, tone and burning calories!
4. Schedule a walk over lunch- Many of my most successful clients schedule a 10 minute brisk walk during a coffee or lunch break every day. (Sometimes two) Take it outside and get your 15 minutes of sun to build some Vitamin D reserves! Consider walking to the sandwich bar, but remember to pick something healthy, or if you bring lunch with you, walk to the local park and eat it there.
5. Start a lunch-time exercise group – try to get other co-workers involved, having a regular routine, and the support from your friends, will help you to stick with your exercise program. You’ll be surprised how many “takers” you’ll have in January! I have a few clients in town that work for a large corporation and they meet to “do stairs”.
6. Personal delivery service – rather than sending an email, deliver messages, or discuss issues, in person with your co-workers. The additional exercise will really add up over the course of a week.
7. Make an exercise schedule – plan for your physical activity just as you would any other appointment during the day. Don’t allow interruptions to change your plans. If you exercise after work, plan ahead the night before by packing your gym clothes. If you wait until morning, you’ll be REALLY lucky if you can find both socks and shoes, your favorite workout shorts AND your water bottle. It pays to be ready the night before. Do all you can to minimize excuses!
8. Join a Boot Camp Class (Or Lean Out Lakeland if you live in Central Florida) where you will have a group of people expecting you, holding you accountable and providing you support and planned workouts and hopefully solid nutritional guidance.
What will YOU choose to seamlessly integrate more exercise into your work day and become a more productive and healthy Corporate Athlete?
Tags: boot camp, bootcamp, Corporate Athlete, Florida, healthy eating, HIIT, Lakeland, Lean Out Lakeland, Weight Loss, Whitney Cabrera BSN
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Nov19
You’ve got to be kidding!
I’m not much of a TV watcher. Besides nightly re-runs of “King of Queens” and an occasional ever-perplexing episode of “Lost”, I really have no idea what’s going on out there in TV land. Truthfully, I’m really not interested. I want to experience my own life, not get caught up in someone else’s drama.
Last week however, the TV really did catch my attention. I was making my bed between Boot Camps (you know, as neat as my hubby is, in our 25 years of marriage, I think he’s made it twice) and turned on the TV to try to catch up on the news.
While putting my favorite terry-covered body pillow on the bed, I heard the most blatant deception I have ever experienced in a commercial:
“There is nothing wrong with High Fructose Corn Syrup. It comes from corn and can actually be good for you.”
I nearly tripped on a slipper and passed out.
No wonder we are all confused in America! We’re getting
bombarded on every side with conflicting information.
How about these claims:
1. “Cheerios can help lower your cholesterol”
You’ve got to be kidding. Eating processed grains can actually make your cholesterol rise! Cheerios only has 1 gram of soluble fiber per serving. Ditch the box! Eat the oatmeal, not the highy processed cereal made from oats. Yes, oatmeal is GREAT for you…but the kind God would recognize.
2. “Milk does a body good”
You’ve got to be kidding. Check this link out for some very interesting ideas on milk consumption.
The Milk Letter
Our bodies are not equipped to digest conventional milk. Many of us are intolerant and have no idea that many of our health issues are tied in with pasteurized milk consumption. Did you know that a calf will die after 30 days of drinking pasteurized milk?
If you have to drink milk, organic is a must and raw is a much better choice. My suggestion is to try Lite Almond Milk that has no sugar added.
Commercials are responsible for one thing: Selling us their product. Deception that is duping the public into believing that they’re living a healthy lifestyle is rampant. Sharpen your Baloney detector! Be an informed consumer.
Now, about that High Fructose Corn Syrup.
“There is nothing wrong with High Fructose Corn Syrup. It comes from corn and can actually be good for you.”
You’ve got to be kidding!
The latest stats say that new cases of diabetes have increased by 90% in the last 10 years. That means that diabetes or pre-diabetes will now strike 1 in every 4 Americans!
Scientists have clearly linked, time and time again, the use of HFCS to the epidemics (yes, epidemics) of obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome in America.
But despite all of the hard scientific evidence, the industry persists in claiming these findings are untrue. They feel that HFCS is the same as sugar.
Am I the only one, or does this remind you a bit of the tobacco companies fervent denial of the link between lung cancer and smoking?
Here’s a great video for you to put in your arsenal:
High Fructose Corn Syrup Deception
So, how much High Fructose Corn Syrup is in YOUR diet?
Start reading the labels of the products you have in your home right now. You’ll be shocked to see that it can be found in every type of processed, pre-packaged food that you can think of.
Trying to lose body fat? Check out this research done by Dr. Elizabeth Parks from the UT Southwestern Medical Center.
“Our study shows for the first time the surprising speed with which humans make body fat from fructose. Once you start the process of fat synthesis from fructose, it’s hard to slow it down. The bottom line of this study is that fructose very quickly gets made into fat in your body.”
Trying to improve your overall health? It’s really quite simple. To lose weight and decrease the risk of developing cancer, diabetes, heart disease and many other life-altering illnesses, drink pure water, (distilled is best….but not from the plastic jug), stop drinking soda and processed fruit juices and eat whole foods.
And by all means, refine your baloney detector!
Now, go shut the TV off, will ya?
Enjoying the journey,
Whitney Cabrera BSN, RN
Tags: boot camp, Florida, Lakeland Boot Camp, Lakeland Personal Trainer, Strategic Boot Camp, Strategic Wellness, Whitney Cabrera
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Oct7
I assume our gyms are similar and that you’re aware of the following scenario:
There are certain focused and persistent individuals that come to the gym at the same time, every day, and use the same piece of cardio equipment all the time, for the same amount of time.
Many of these folks spend their allotted time either reading the morning paper, their current novel, or talking on the phone while strolling leisurely on the treadmill or recumbent bike.
At times you might even see them striking up a LONG conversation with a friend over by the weight machine until their ’ time’ is up.
Not to be critical, because at least they’re THERE doing it! But have you noticed that they still look the same? Their bodies haven’t changed. They’re frustrated.
Besides nutrition, which is THE most important element to create the body you’re looking for (we’ll discuss ideas on that later), the key to change is doing something DIFFERENT than you’ve always done it, and doing it with INTENSITY!
You’ve got to shake things up to create a metabolic disturbance!
Disclaimer: If you have physical limitation issues or any ongoing disease process, of course you need to speak with your doctor before beginning any exercise OR nutrition program
Now, when I speak of intensity, I mean a state of work that leaves you breathless and talking in 2 or 3 word sentences. I mean REALLY HARD WORK!
This type of exercise is called HIIT or a High Intensity Interval Session. Emphasis on the words HIGH INTENSITY.
Our Strategic Boot Camp training sessions are built on this exact foundation. Science (and our experience) has proven it to be the most efficient method of burning the fat off of your body while maintaining your lean muscle tissue, In a Boot Camp Workout, we use HIIT in a Circuit Training format. But this is not all. Three days a week my campers are required to do a 20 minute HIIT session of purely cardio. No more. No less.
Here is an example of a beginner’s high intensity cardio session. It can be performed on a treadmill, recumbent bike, an elliptical trainer, outdoor running, a rowing machine, jump roping or, in short, anything that drives your heart rate up and leaves you panting!
3-5 minute warm-up
30 seconds hard intensity interval (go all out – bring it on!)
90 seconds recovery interval (go a little slower, don’t stop)
{repeat interval pattern for 5-10 rounds)
Finish with a 3-5 minute cool down
Believe me, when you perform your cardio work like this, you’ll only need 20 minutes! It works like a charm. Looking for that magic fat loss bullet? This is it!
Please understand that these intervals should only be done 2-3 times a week as it is VERY taxing on your body. Three other days a week are reserved for weight training. And a final day (or two) is reserved purely for rest!
Ask for professional help to set up a strength training program to help you meet the goals you have. It is absolutely essential to utilize correct form and understand how much weight and reps are too much or too little. It is science. Learn how and what to do before attempting it yourself. It IS worth the extra funds to engage a professional to guide you. You will not need a trainer with you for long. A good trainer can set you up for success and send you on your way.
Get the results you want. Try some HIIT. Spend Less Time. Eat supportively.
Get your workout done in 20 minutes and walk right out the door past the chatters feeling GREAT about your accomplishment!
Shake it Up!
Enjoying the journey,
Whitney Cabrera RN, BSN
Tags: boot camp, exercise, HIIT, Rapid Fat Loss
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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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