Archive for the ‘Laurel's Early Morning Ramblings’ Category

My 4:00 am Wake Up Call

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

This morning I woke up at 4:00 am. Seems like every few months, I get insomnia. I fall asleep quickly but then wake up after a couple of hours.

After lying in bed for thirty minutes I decided to turn on the TV.

I was hoping to find something boring and doze back off to sleep. With blurry eyes I flipped through the channels. I thought my remote was stuck because it looked like the same show was on every station. It was nothing but infomercials. Three stations had weight loss gadgets, one station was some gadget to change your life in the kitchen and one station was showing something to change your life in the bedroom. At 4:00 am, the only change I want going on in my bedroom is some sleep!!

I decided to see what kind of crap was being sold at 4:00 am and what kind of ridiculous promises were being made.

First channel surfing stop was a product known as the Contour. This gadget is a belt that when worn around the midsection sends electrical currents to tighten and tone while you get to sit around and watch TV. I watched as they showed the user doing traditional sit ups. On cue, he made the squishy, contorted facial expression of a man in pain. He said the sit up hurt his back….poor baby, poor incredibly ripped, lean hunk of gorgeousnesses.

Enter the expert!

The expert showed a thermoscan of gorgeous male model’s muscles while doing sit ups and then while wearing the “amazing” Contour belt. Of course the Thermoscan lit up when that hunk of a man put on the belt.

Even in my sleep deprived state, I knew that this was a load of crap.

If you watch closely enough and take you eyes off of that hot body long enough, you will see a quick flash of print at the bottom of the screen, the same print that is on the bottom of the TV screen of all these stupid gadgets and that is that results are not typical….blah, blah, blah. Does anyone even read that or they already on the phone ordering, not one but 2? God forbid you ever get just one item from an infomercial. We all know that if you act now, they will send you another one for FREE!!

Ok, in case you missed the print at the bottom of the screen, here it is.

Regular users of the Contour device can generally expect modest strengthening and toning of abdominal muscles. Results are not typical. He lost weight on a reduced calorie diet and an exercise program.

Please do me a favor and read the above paragraph again, this time out loud.

This was just one station. The others were showing a Brazilion Butt Lift program and The Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis. Same crap, different delivery.

After flipping back and forth between several of these programs, I finally found and settled on an I Love Lucy marathon. Those were the good old days!

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Insanity; Doing the Same Thing and Expecting Different Results

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

Obviously I thought this blog would write itself since it was dated December 12th and I am just actually getting to it.

I meant to get this done before the New Year but I guess January 3rd will have to do.

There is a huge amount of commercials on TV guaranteeing fast results with little to no work. Most of these products are worthless and some are downright absurd.

Let’s start with the Shake Weight. Have you seen the commercials? I seriously thought they were Saturday Night Live spoofs. The One featuring the guy is really funny..and obscene. I hope that actor made a lot of money for that. The Shake Weight promises toned arms in just minutes a day. I guess millions of people bought into the hype because whoever invented that made a ton of money. Just because it sold millions, does that mean it works? No!! The weight loss industry was around 40 billion dollars richer from the money that was spent. I just think how many people we could feed if we quit looking for a quick fix and just did the work required to lose weight.

Let’s take a closer look at this product shall we? First of all, they are paid actors. Do you really think the actors in those commercials look like they do from using a Shake Weight? Fitness models are paid to look like they do. They work out and diet for a living so that when a product comes calling, they are ready.

Secondly, I imagine that most of the people who buy these products are overweight or have higher than average body fat. Even if the Shake Weight did tone your arms, you wouldn’t see anything until you drop your body fat percentage into the lean category.

Getting your body fat low enough to show off toned arms takes some serious consistent changes in the diet along with regular exercise that includes weight training. There is no gadget that is going to get you there..unless that gadget happens to include a plastic surgeon. Even then, there is only so much they can do.

Next blog I will talk about another ridiculous product I saw last night. It’s a t-shirt for men that promises a 6 inch loss around the stomach. I bet the call centers were busy last night.

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Transform Yourself!

Thursday, November 18th, 2010

Did you know that most people will gain between 5 and 10 pounds between Halloween and New Years? Seems to me that we start with Halloween candy and then it’s a free for all until we buckle down and set those New Year’s resolutions.

We tell ourselves that it is ok because it’s the Holidays. It becomes ok to bring candy, doughnuts, cakes, cookies and other treats to share with our co-workers. We tell ourselves that one won’t hurt. The truth is one WON’T hurt, but most people don’t stop there.

Before you know it, you’ve gained weight. You find you can no longer fit into the outfit you planned to wear to your Christmas and Holiday parties. If you are like the old me, it was my excuse to stay home. If I can’t look hot and feel confident, then I might as well put on a pair of sweat pants, bake some cookies and stay home and eat away my misery.

We at Boot Camp Fitness and Training decided to change that. A group of 50 boot campers have decided that we are going to be in shape, fit and looking hot for the Holidays with our Transformation Challenge.

This is not a typical Biggest Loser weight loss contest. Most weight loss contests fail because people have no clue what to do to lose body fat. They just assume that means to cut out all carbs, skip meals and go for long walks. In other words, they do things that actually causes their metabolism to slow down and their bodies to store body fat.

Enter a whole new way to reach your goals.

I can’t claim that I made this entire system up. I read and study and I follow and take examples from other successful fitness professionals. I also looked at what has worked and more importantly what has failed in my 12 years as a fitness expert.

I came up with a list of behaviors, that if done consistently over time will result in fat loss. These are the things that I have been telling my clients to do until I was blue in the face. They are behaviors that will lead to developing life long healthy habits but more importantly, they work.

Our Transformation Challenge is based on a point system. Each healthy behavior or habit is worth points. The person with the most points on Dec. 30th wins 3 months of boot camp.

First priority is setting a long term; in our case, 6 week goal. The goal has to be challenging, yet realistic. Setting a goal is worth points.

In order to reach your big goal, you have to have a road map to get there. We award points for setting weekly goals and more importantly, daily goals. It’s the things you do and the decisions you make everyday that will make or break your goals.

Next step in being successful is being accountable. Clients get points for posting their daily goals on our forum and get points for checking back in at night.

Adding extra exercise besides boot camp is worth more points as week as keeping a food journal. All of these things have been proven to work in losing fat.

I decided to go one step further. I throw out my weekly challenge to the group and it’s not easy. If they keep it up for a whole week, they earn big points. Our first weekly challenge is no sugar.

The feedback I am getting is that not eating sugar is paying off in a big way. Our clients are feeling more energetic, more in control and are starting to see some results.

So, how can you make your own Transformation Challenge?

First thing is to set a long term goal with a deadline. Your goal must be realistic and measurable. Just saying you are going to lose weight is not enough. How much weight? By when?

Break that goal into weekly goals. What do you need to do to reach your bigger goal? It’s proven that keeping a food journal works. There are plenty of online sites that are great for tracking your food intake.

Exercise has to be a priority. Make sure you are working out at a medium to high intensity most days of the week. Weigh and measure your food for a while. You will be amazed at how much you were underestimating the amount of food you were eating.

Switch out processed, crappy carbs for fresh fruit and vegetables. Vow to eat smaller meals more frequently rather than just 2 or 3 big meals a day.

Eat breakfast!

There are so many weekly goals to choose from. Just remember, keep it simple!! You don’t have to change everything at once. Pick 1 or 2 weekly goals.

Daily goals are important. It will keep you focused on creating good healthy habits. Maybe a goal is to eat breakfast or bringing your lunch to work rather than going out. Maybe it’s to eat healthy snacks through out the day or to “close the kitchen” after dinner.

Creating your own Transformation does not have to be hard. Just keep in mind that it has to be things you are willing to to. If you are not a runner, it makes no sense to make it a goal to run everyday.

Don’t set yourself up for failure. You’ve been failing long enough.

Keep it simple, keep it achievable and before long you will become that person you’ve always wanted to be.

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It’s Getting HOT in Here

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Holy Smokes, the temp at the gym has been insane. I know by posting this I will probably turn people away, but I always believe in being up front with people about boot camp. I always tell them, we are not a pretty little gym with mirrors, music and towel service. We don’t have air conditioning or heat. It’s been 100 degrees inside in the summer and in the 30s during the winter. I find that there is a crazy group of people who get excited by that.

What I love most about our gym is that we are “old school, bare bones, your body is your machine” kind of place. Yeah, we throw in Russian Kettlebells, tires, telephone poles, TRX, sleds and some other equipment, but it’s mostly about using your own body to move better, get stronger and yes, burn some fat.

I was so proud to hear that 2 of our male clients each lost 20 pounds last month. That is 20 pounds in 4 weeks, coming just 3 times a week for 45 minutes! One of our female clients lost 10 and she only comes 2 times a week. Others dropped 2 sizes in the past 4 weeks.

The one thing I love to hear (and see) more than weight loss, is the increase in confidence, the friendships being formed, the healthy habits people are creating, the workouts planned on off days and most of all, people moving better and having less pain.

I love my “job” and I am blessed to be surrounded by some awesome clients and co-workers.

L

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Minneapolis Here I Come!

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

I’m leaving bright and early tomorrow morning for my RKC certification. I’ve spent the last 10 weeks trying to get in shape to be able to put up with the demands of the weekend. I’ve also been working on passing my Snatch Test.

I have to be honest, I haven’t put in as much time as I would have liked. Working out that hard is very hard to do alone. I am not one of those types of people who are self motivated. I do much better in a group setting or with a workout partner.

I’m hoping that going through the weekend with a ton of other people, including my oldest son, Ryan, will get me through.

As of right now, I am scared to death.

I will keep everyone posted on the weekend through either my blog or Facebook.

Wish me luck!

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Our Biggest Losers

Monday, April 6th, 2009

Eleven weeks ago 41 of our boot campers stepped on the scale for our Biggest Loser weigh in. We did a 10 weeks contest, ending right before spring break. We divided into 3 teams with Mike, Bean and I being team leaders. We had prizes for the winning team as well as the overall male and female winners. Everyone paid $5.00 which was split between the winning team.

We encouraged food journals and had special workouts on the weekends to help with everyone’s success. I can’t speak for the other teams, but I only had a few that turned in food journals. Not surprising, these were the people that lost the most weight.

During our weigh in last week, I asked each and everyone who had lost a significant amount of weight in the 10 weeks, what their “secret” was. Well, here it is.

They wrote down what they ate and added more exercise to their week!

Even people that eat “healthy” found that they were overeating once they started writing down what they ate. People who were undereating also found that writing down their food intake helped get them on track.

Those who come to boot camp two or three times a week found that adding another day or two of some type of cardio was just what they needed to get the scale moving again.

Normally I would tell you to stay off of the scale, but since we were doing a contest with a lot of people, we needed a simple measuring tool.

I too found that when I was writing down what I ate, which is pretty simple, I started dropping fat. I started slacking off during the last two weeks of the contest, only keeping a food journal once every few days, and my weight loss stopped.

Once you can get into the habit of writing down your food intake, seeing what normal servings are, finding out which foods should be eaten in moderation and which foods are not worth eating because of the high amount of calories, then you may find you can stop keeping a journal.

There are several great food journals out there. I like www.calorieking.com. Some of my clients prefer www.sparkpeople.com. There is also www.fitday.com.

So, our little contest proved again what I have preached all along. In order to lose weight (fat) you need to eat right and exercise. You won’t know if you are eating right until you write it down and keep track of what it is you are eating.

Exercise should be done at least 5 days a week.

Before you fork out money on another diet program or weight loss supplements, try my free and simple solution to fat loss; a food journal and hard exercise at least 5 days a week.

Congratulations to MY team for winning our Biggest Loser contest. Congratulations to John T and Lisa C for having the most weight loss. Congratulations to everyone who stuck out the 10 weeks and saw some great results.

We will do this again.

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Great Work for the Heart!

Thursday, March 26th, 2009

Some of you may know that I have been a volunteer track coach for the Special Olympics. Some of you, who know me well, will be laughing because you know that running is my least favorite exercise. You are probably wondering why I am helping to coach track and what could I possibly know about running.

The beauty of volunteering is that you don’t have to have any special skills, just a desire to help…and that I have plenty of!

A couple of weeks ago, our athletes had to qualify for the Area Games that were held last weekend on March 21st. Qualifying in the Area Games means they can go on to compete at the state games at Disney World in May. Only the top athletes in their races get to move up to the next level.

I noticed during practice that many of our athletes were trying to do their time trials in either Basketball shoes or shoes that were torn up, worn out and ill fitting. Many of them were also running in denim shorts or work pants. The athletes that are older live on fixed income and some in group homes and simply can’t afford to buy proper equipment for running. I had to do something.

I mobilized my boot camp clients both past and present, who have been and are the most generous bunch I have ever met. I sent out word on Facebook and made a few calls.

Through the generosity of our boot campers, Gulfwinds track club and Magic 107 we collected over 50 pair of new and gently used running shoes, tons of running shorts,sunscreen and brand new socks in just 3 days!

The best part of this mission was on the day of the Area Games. Myself, my son, Nigel and several of my boot campers, Nick, Sarah, Megan and Kelly fitted athletes in need from Leon and Gadsden Co. with new shoes and socks. The smiles on their faces said it all. They left our little booth feeling more confident, a little more like the runners they were.

It was great to volunteer at the games and watch these athletes give 110% effort whether they were doing assisted walking with an able-bodied volunteer, playing unified soccer, tennis or Bocci.

It’s great to know that one simple act can do so much for another.

Blessed Mother Theresa said it best, “If you can’t feed a hundred people then feed just one.”


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My Road to the Russian Kettlebell Certification (RKC)

Thursday, March 12th, 2009

Five weeks from today I will be lying on my bed in my hotel room in Minneapolis, MN, hopefully surrounded by loads of shopping bags from the Mall of America. The fun stops there.

The reason for my trip is to finally get certified as a Russian Kettlebell Instructor. I have been working out with Kettlebells and teaching basic Kettlebell exercises to my boot camp clients for over 3 years now. I did get another Kettlebell certification soon after I started my boot camp business. It was fine as far as getting me started and teaching me the basics and keeping me and my clients safe. However, I feel like getting another certification and getting it with the RKC is like getting my Master’s Degree in Kettlebell training.

The big difference between this certification and the others is that I have to pass a test before I take the course. Here are the requirements; http://www.dragondoor.com/certification_42.html. This is a video I found on Youtube of the certification that just took place in San Jose, CA.

I have really let me own conditioning go over the last year, so just getting ready to take this course has been challenging for me. The first thing I did was to hire an expert. I got my good buddy Dave Whitley, who is an RKC instructor to put together a program for me. He can be found at www.irontamer.com. The workout consists of 2 days a week of over 100 snatches done in sets with a minute rest in between. The other 2 days a week is general conditioning of double KB clean and presses, Turkish Get ups, double KB squats and heavy swings. Thank God, the sets of snatches starts decreasing next week!

Many days I didn’t think I was going to be able to do this. The first few snatch days tore most of the skin off of my hands. They have since healed but my husband says I have the hands of a laborer. I am following the hand care instruction and will be soaking and filing my callouses to keep them from pinching and tearing again…so far, so good.

My other problem has been not being able to get through all of my sets. By the time I reached my 9th or 10th set, my grip, my forearms, my stamina and my willpower were all toast. It was discouraging.

My friend Carol came to my rescue! Carol is a black belt in Karate and she taught me how to use controlled breathing to power through the tough spots. This is a technique that I will learn during my certification, but I needed to know it now! Carol was also willing to sit with me and count my reps and keep time for me. I hate to admit it but I am not self motivated and working out alone, especially doing something as hard as hundreds of snatches was not working for me. Just having someone there watching me, reminding me to breath and counting my reps has made all the difference in the world.

The breathing is pretty amazing. I’m not sure I can tell the difference in my body, but I have gotten though the workout with no problem. I think it’s like the Lamaze breathing during labor, who knows if it takes away the pain, as long as it takes your mind away from the pain.

The other thing I am using to get me through the pain is focusing on the Mall of America.

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