Common Boot Camp Misconceptions Part 1

Jack La Lanne's Glamour StretcherIn my 25 years of helping individuals get into shape, I hear a lot of misgivings, myths and misconceptions about signing up for a fitness bootcamp.  In David Letterman style, here’s my top ten list:

 10. I’m Too Old

Actually the oldest boot camper I have trained was well into her 70s.  I’ve also had the privilege of training an 94-year old in personal 1:1 sessions. So, the adage of “you’re never too old” is absolutely true when it comes to exercising. According to Health Magazine, experts believe exercise can be the real fountain of youth. Boosting your metabolism and building healthy muscle can help you feel better and be fit at any age. Plus, there are the side effects: strength training to keep bone density and weight loss to reduce risk of heart disease and diabetes. Hey, Jack La Lanne worked out until his death at 96. At lifeSport Fitness, we even have a Fit & Fab Boot Camp designed just for women over 40.

9. I’m Too Young

Creating healthy habits when you’re young is a good thing! Adding a boot camp into your exercise routine can add variety to typical gym workouts. Even young athletes involved in team sports (such as soccer, volleyball or basketball) may not get a full, well-rounded workout.  Boot camp exercises work the legs as well as upper body, so no one area is over-trained.

8. I Can’t Get Up in the Morning

Yes, it’s true most boot camp programs start early in the morning. Once you get into the routine of rising early for a workout, you’ll find it gets easier. Many clients report that they are more alert and energized throughout the day. When they do sleep, it’s more restful… making it easier to get up in the morning. According to SleepFoundation.org experts, you shouldn’t exercise three hours before bedtime. But if you’re really not a morning person no matter what you’ve tried, there are evening boot camps that may be a better match for your schedule.

7. I Can’t Afford It

Many boot camps are actually less expensive than a gym membership. If you add in the personalized training you receive at a boot camp, the savings is even more dramatic. Frequently eating out or ordering a specialty Starbucks coffee can really add up. Where could you trim an expense or two? Investing in your health is always a good idea. It may even lead to more fiscally friendly habits like packing healthy lunches or snacks rather than drive-thru fare.

6. I’ll Get Hurt

The truth is a qualified trainer knows how to modify exercises to tailor to various fitness levels. Working out in a boot camp is a great way to determine where you’re at and how to improve… under the watchful eye of a certified and knowledgeable instructor.

I’ll be back next week with my remaining 5 Common Boot Camp Misconceptions.

If I’ve already overcome your fear about fitness boot camps, and you’re interested in test driving a lifeSport Fitness boot camp, click here to request a free one-week trial!  I want a FREE week at lifeSport Fitness boot camp in San Jose!!!

Welcome to lifeSport Fitness!

If you want to lose weight, get toned muscles, or decrease your risk for chronic disease, you’ve come to the right place! lifeSport Fitness has been helping get the residents of San Jose, Los Gatos and Campbell fit since 1989. There’s a lot of misleading information out there about how to get in shape and lose body fat. We take your health seriously by staying on the cutting edge of what’s new and relevant in fitness training.

We’ve got a number of programs to help you look better, feel better and have more energy.

If you want private, personalized attention in your fitness transformation, we suggest you visit our personal training page.  We can train you at your home*, your office, or at a private personal training studio in Campbell. We’ll design a program specific to your needs and tailored to your goals.  If you have a chronic health condition or simply prefer individualized attention our premiere personal training program is for you!

If you are on a budget, or prefer to work out with others, try our fitness boot camps located in San Jose (Downtown/Rosegarden area and Cambrian/Almaden area), Los Gatos an Campbell.  These workouts are non-stop action and non-stop fun!  You get a never-the-same twice professionally designed workout, supervision by a coach, and the motivation of working out with other fitness-minded people for a fraction of the cost of personal training!

If you’re a Benefits Manager at a Silicon Valley company and you need to develop a corporate wellness program, let us be your wellness team! We can administer your Health Risk Appraisal, create a wellness program and incentive plan specifically geared toward your corporate culture and your health care cost management goals.

Introducing James Kiel-Los Gatos Boot Camp Instructor

I’m excited to introduce one of the newest members of the lifeSport Fitness team, James Kiel.

James is the Head Coach of our Campbell evening boot camp (May through October) and our Los Gatos evening boot camp  (October through April).  James has been a fitness professional for 6 years and has experience at both the High School and College level as a Strength and Conditioning Coach.

By day, James is a Business Analyst at Stanford Medical Clinic.  In the evening, James gets to make use of his degree in Kinesiology and his passion for helping people stay fit by leading our fun, fast paced boot camps. A former Division 1 football player, James is no stranger to tough workouts.  But don’t let the tough football player exterior fool you, James is a warm and caring fitness professional who has what it takes to push our hardcore exercisers to new levels of fitness, while making our newbies feel welcome with his quit wit and attention to detail on proper exercise form.

Fun facts about James

Favorite personal workout: “300” Workout

Favorite “healthy” food: Natural Peanut Butter

Favorite “occasional indulgence” food: In-N-Out’s “Double Double”

Hobbies: Power Lifting and spending time with his wife and 3 children.

Education:

Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology (Movement Science) — SJSU

Certifications:

NSCA Strength and Conditioning Coach

One of the neat things about our Los Gatos boot camp location is that we have the ability to work out indoors when it’s cold and dark outside–so you don’t have to get wet while you work out!  If you’d like to experience a fun, fast paced workout on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, please go to our Los Gatos and Campbell boot camp webpage and sign up for a FREE trial week at James’ class!

Committed to your success,

Becky

Some Inspiration from “Ben” and lifeSport Boot Camp in San Jose

I got a newsletter from a fellow fitness pro today, and he always finds the coolest videos to share.  Today’s video was especially cool and very inspirational, and I wanted to share it with you.

As a San Jose personal trainer for over 25 years, I’ve worked with many people who are trying to lose excess body fat, tone their muscles and improve their health.  For some people, the changes that need to be made come easily.  For others, it can be harder to make sustained lifestyle changes in order to see dramatic results.

The video below shows you the dramatic results that are possible with determination, consistency and support.  It’s obvious that Ben, the young man in the video, had determination, but I also suspect his life changing results came with consistency (in nutrition as well as exercise ) and support.  It’s hard to make dramatic lifestyle changes alone—but the WILL to do it has to start with you.

Clearly, Ben has changed his life for the better.  As he says himself, he’s HAPPY now (as a mom, that part got me choked up a bit!).  Taking the emotion out of it and looking at this from a completely clinical perspective, he’s added years and quality to his life (he’s decreased his risk factors for stroke, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes).

If you’ve hit a road block in your fitness or weight loss program, watch this video.

It might just be the inspiration you need.

In our boot camps in San Jose, Campbell and Los Gatos, my instructors and I work hard to provide you with consistency and support.

If you can supply the will and determination, we’d make a great team :-).

Committed to your success,

Becky

P.S. If you need professional support to reach your fitness goals, we’d love to invite you enjoy a one week FREE trial at one of our fitness boot camps in San Jose, Campbell or Los Gatos.  Visit our boot camp webpage to request your free trial:  www.lifesportbootcamp.com

Healthy Snacks For The Car

Last weekend I led a group of customers from my boot camps in Campbell and San Jose on a tour of a local grocery store.  We talked about how to pick the healthiest options at the store, and how to decipher faulty and misleading advertising on food packaging.

One of the attendees, Massimo, who attends my fitness boot camp in the Cambrian area of San Jose, asked what to do when he finds himself in the car a lot during the day going from one meeting to the next.  The temptation to go grab some fast food can get the best of us.

The solution is to plan ahead and put some healthy food items in your car so that the fast food restaurants aren’t such a temptation.  If you can stay hydrated, dampen your hunger and keep your blood sugar steady, you’re less likely to fall victim to a greasy, salty fast food meal.

So, thank you, Massimo, for giving me a great idea for a blog post!

Here are some ideas for healthy “car” food (and most of them only take one hand to eat, so you can keep the other hand on the wheel!)

• A ziplock bag of nuts (pre-measured  so that you don’t overdo it!)

• A ziplock bag of dried fruit

•  A ziplock bag of  sliced apples

•  A peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread

• Several skewers of fresh fruit chunks (you can eat them off the skewer with one hand without getting your hands sticky!)

Prograde Cravers (the healthiest snack bar on the planet!)

• String cheese

• Zip lock bag of little shredded wheat biscuits

On warm days when I’m going to be in the car a lot, I put my food in a small cooler with an ice pack in it, and make sure to pack a couple of water bottles as well.  Snacking can tide you over until you can get home for a real meal, but you can also get a “real meal” by combining several of the snacks I’ve listed above.

Not only will healthy car snacking help you maintain a healthier body, it will also help you keep a few extra dollars in your wallet.  Regular fast food meals (or sugar laden venti coffee drinks!) put a dent in your wallet and flab on your waistline.

With just a little pre-planning and packing, you can get through a day of numerous car trips without having to resort to hitting the drive through.

If you’re a frequent car snacker, leave a post and list your favorite healthy snacks!

Committed to your success,

Becky

Holiday Calorie Control Tip #1

I know you know this.

You know you know this.

Fail to plan, plan to fail.

You can’t just HOPE you’re going to behave yourself at holiday parties. You can’t just do the same old things you’ve been doing. You can’t just  miss breakfast, have a light lunch and then go to a party filled with temptation and not go a little insane on the cheese platter ;-).

You have to plan your meals.

You have to plan your workouts.

You have to set your goals in stone.

You don’t want to be the person that comes out of the holidays 5 to 10 pounds heavier, do you?

If you don’t plan your strategy to prevent weight gain, well, you can PLAN on getting some new clothes that fit your new size (yuck).

This is far from doom and gloom. You can still enjoy your favorite foods at parties. You can still have a great time.

But what you can’t do is just free-for-all it and stuff your face with everything put in front of you. You know that.

Tell you what: Plan on taking a nice 30 minute walk this weekend and do some solid thinking about what your plan will be. And when you get back home, put it on paper and commit to it. Seriously–writing stuff down helps you focus on it and keep it at the top of your mind.

Think about how great you’ll feel about yourself when January comes after you’ve followed your plan. Oh, and be sure to reward yourself to by doing something special for yourself (see my P.P.S. for an idea).

Yours in health,

Becky

PS – Speaking of eating well over the holidays, as a proud Prograde Nutrition partner I should let you know that Prograde is having a heck of a Holiday Blow Out on ALL of their awesome products. Everything you need, including the coupon code to save 15% on all Prograde Nutrition products is right here: http://lifesportfitness.getprograde.com/specials.html

Hurry because this deal expires this Friday, December 11th at 11:59pm EST.

P.P.S.  Want to treat yourself or someone you love to something awesome in January? How about a one week FREE trial at a lifeSport Fitness boot camp in San Jose or Los Gatos in January?  I just opened my “1 week free trial” program today!  Get on the list now if you want to get in the best shape of your life in 2010:  http://www.lifesportbootcamp.com .  The first free trial week starts January 4th!