Becoming a Corporate Athlete

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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Lose Some Serious Fat!

Are you desperate to lose fat?

Have joined the ranks of the insanely bored, yet focused cardio worshippers?

Do you feel guilty if you have not spent your hour a day rocking the elliptical machine?

Is your whole workout ruined if someone beat you to the only functioning, coveted
“revolving stair case” ? (Otherwise known as the death mill)

If so, then allow me to be sac-religious for a moment:

“Endurance Exercise is NOT a necessity for fat loss.”

Yes, I said it.

If you don’t like doing endurance work, stop doing it!

You can lose fat rapidly either WITH it or WITHOUT it!

You choose.

Exercising is about being healthy. And we all know that if we don’t like something, the chances of us continuing to do it after the novelty has worn off, is nil, and we NEED to continue doing it for our health’s sake.

Don’t you have anything you’d like to spend those extra hours doing besides ‘penance’ for eating an extra cookie at the office Christmas party? (We’ll talk about your unhealthy relationship with food at a later date.)

Now, I realize there is a place for endurance work. You may be training for a distance challenge, or possibly even really ENJOY the exercise itself. But this indeed would be a rarity. Most of us just either want to get in shape, or stay that way.

So, how can we lose fat rapidly without doing copious amounts of cardio?

Simple: Incorporate a nutritionally dense eating style and learn to implement anaerobic exercise. (The kind that leaves you gasping for breath!)

It’s not a single answer. You can’t lose your fat and keep your muscle without making changes in your diet, AND building some sweat equity working with weights.

So, here’s the bottom line:

Get a plan, a strategy together to make these two things happen in your life.

1. Eat a nutrient rich diet with 90% of your foods coming from plants. (Soups and Salads are a GREAT way to get this accomplished.)

2. Learn to perform High Intensity Interval Training.

If you are new to the concept of eating clean, and eating for nutritional excellence, I’d like to introduce you to Dr. Joel Fuhrman who is providing an important catalyst for a much needed paradigm shift in our approach to healthcare and weight loss.

Purchase any of his books, or even his audio book, Eat for Health (my personal favorite) as a gift for yourself for Christmas and spend the holidays becoming educated in what it will take to implement the most effective weight loss and disease prevention and reversal method ever.

But beware of the side effects!

Incorporating a Nutrient Dense Eating Style may cause unintentional reversal of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes, arthritis, IBS, wrinkling skin, allergies and many other annoying and life threatening issues.

As for Learning to perform High Intensity Interval Training, let’s start very simply:

As applies to any exercise prescription, please check with your doctor to be sure this will be a safe activity for you. I know very few doctors who wouldn’t want their clients to walk…so don’t use this as an excuse to delay beginning your wellness journey.

Lace up your tennis shoes, grab a watch with a second hand and walk out your front door.

Step One: Walk for 5 minutes just to warm up your joints. Easy does it.

Step Two: Walk as fast as you can (and I do mean fast) for 1 full minute.

Step Three: Walk slowly to recover for 2 full minutes.

That’s Round One.

Repeat Step Two and Three 4 more times for a total of 15 minutes of Interval Training.

Step Four: Walk for 5 minutes to cool down.

That’s it.

Now, for those of you who are much more advanced and accomplished. Implement this same protocol, but utilize a more strenuous approach:

Jumproping (Fast Jumping 1 minute/Slow jumping 2 minutes)

Treadmill running (Sprint speed 1 minute/Jogging speed 2 minutes)

Cycling: (Fast and difficult gear for 1 minute/Slower and easier gear for 2 minutes.)

You get the idea. Anything that will bring your heart rate up will suffice.

I will post other HIIT workout ideas utilizing weights and cardio throughout the holiday season. Stay tuned.

Spend your holiday season getting prepared for a Fit and Fabulous 2010. Read, practice eating with nutrient density in mind and practice some HIIT.

If you live in Lakeland, Florida and you’re looking for some guidance in holistic dramatic fat loss utilizing the principles I mention here, you will want to check out this opportunity:

Here’s the Website with all the information you need to participate in the premiere weight loss and educational event in Lakeland, Florida.

Lean Out Lakeland

Beginning January 18th, 100 Lakeland individuals will be participating in a Team Weight Loss Contest geared to educate and empower their health and wellness. We have a few places left.

Are you ready to change? We’re here to help you make the permanent lifestyle change you know you need. Stop the endless treadmill cycle. Get it done! Lose the fat and improve your health!

It’s time for your own personal Wellness Revolution.

Tags: Florida, healthy eating, HIIT, Joel Fuhrman, Lakeland, Lakeland Boot Camp, Lakeland Personal Trainer, Lean Out Lakeland, Nutrient Dense Living, Strategic Boot Camp, Whitney Cabrera
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What do Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughan and YOU have in common?

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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A Success Story!

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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A Brief Look into a Transformation Contestant’s Journey

As so many contestants from Lakeland prepare mentally for the 8 week Summer Meltdown Transformation, I thought you might enjoy hearing a few of their thoughts.  Here’s your first!

“I caught myself thinking that I could eat anything I wanted since I will be “restricted” in about a week.

Then I realized that I was being silly and I did not want to go into the beginning of this transformationboot with an inflated weight and only lose the weight I put on BEFORE the contest,  instead of losing the weight I already have!  LOL

Tags: Fat Loss Experts, FL, Lakeland, Lakeland Boot Camp, Lakeland Personal Trainer, RN, Strategic Boot Camp, transformation contest, Whitney Cabrera BSN
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