We’ll hold an early morning fitness boot camp on the premises of The Fencing Center of San Jose, located at 110 Stockton Ave., 95126.  It’s right around the corner from the HP Pavillion (otherwise known as the “Sharks Arena”).    Camp will be held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 6:00-6:50 am, and will be taught by professional fitness trainer and lifeSport Fitness Coach,  Nichole Christoffersen.  Our inaugural camp starts on Monday, March 8th!

If you live or work near Downtown San Jose, here’s your chance to join the hottest, most results oriented workout in town!  Forget about long, boring cardio workouts on machines at the gym–let us get you moving and burning massive calories with body weight strength exercises, stair exercises, medicine ball drills and fun challenges that keep you moving and sweating.  We scale the workout so all fitness levels can participate.

Escape the cold and the rain by working out in a safe, lighted INDOOR environment this winter. We’ll then take you outside around Arena Green for some fresh air when the weather warms up and the sun shines in the morning!

Interested in being a charter member of the Downtown San Jose boot camp?  Log on to www.lifesportbootcamp.com and request a free one week trial.  Newcomers to lifeSport Fitness who complete a one week free trial at one of our other San Jose boot camp locations in February will be eligible for a 20% discount on March membership fees at the Downtown San Jose boot camp.

Now let’s talk more about enjoyment. Yes, you CAN enjoy your favorite foods. But enjoy them by savoring them, not devouring them.

Chew your food slowly.

That might not seem it, but that is a BIG TIME tip.

Enjoy your favorites by taking your time eating them. That may mean finding a quiet space to eat when at a loud party. But it will be worth the little bit of extra effort.

It’s going to take about 20 minutes for your stomach to signal your brain that you are full. So take your time. Enjoy every bite with zero guilt.

Again, this might seem too simple, but it’s not. It really can be this easy if you stay focused on your plan.

Also, remember that TONIGHT is the last day to save 15% on ALL of Prograde Nutrition’s awesome products. Their huge Holiday Sale ends at 11:59pm EST.

http://lifesportfitness.getprograde.com/specials.html

Yours in health,

Becky

PS – Again, Prograde Nutrition’s HUGE Holiday Savings ends TONIGHT. As a proud Prograde Partner I really cannot recommend their products enough. This is the first time I’ve seen them do a 15% discount off all their products like they are this week–not sure when they’ll do it again.

http://lifesportfitness.getprograde.com/specials.html

Plan on staying control of your alcohol intake.

Look, a drink or two isn’t going to be the end of the world. But when two turns to three in a night…… or two every night for three nights straight….well…..it’s gonna hit you in the waistline.

I’m not getting on my soap box here. I’m just telling you something you already know:

Too much alcohol not only adds up to too many calories, it leads to bad decisions. And in this case, we’re talking about bad eating decisions.

When alcohol enters the equation even the best laid plans crumble. The extra calories from the cocktails is one thing. But really it’s the extra calories you chew that start to add up.

One piece of cake turns to two…

A handful of chips turns into a a bag…

The dip sitting in front of you mysteriously vanishes…into your belly…

You get the picture.

Over-indulging in alcohol leads to disintegration of your resolve and control.

That said………..

Have fun. Enjoy yourself. Just be conscious of what alcohol does to your decision making. Stay in control.

Yours in health,

Becky

PS – Remember, Prograde Nutrition’s HUGE Holiday Savings ends TOMORROW night. You definitely want to get over to http://lifesportfitness.getprograde.com/specials.html right NOW and place you order to save 15% on all their killer products. It’s my duty as a proud Prograde Partner to remind you .  I’m going to stock up on EFA-Icon (fish oil) myself!

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!

A much more effective and time-efficient approach to ordering your exercises is utilizing the alternating set format. Here you’ll perform one exercise, rest for a very short period of time, then perform another non-competing exercise, rest for a short period of time, and so forth. Alternating sets allow you to work different areas of your body when you would otherwise be resting with the straight set format. Plus, by working another area of your body with a non-competing exercise you allow your body to recover from the previous exercise(s). The result is improved training economy and density: more work accomplished in less time, the cornerstone of any sound fat loss program.

There are several ways to perform alternating sets outlined below:

1.)   Supersets: Alternate between two different non-competing exercises (e.g. upper body and lower body such as push-ups and lunges). I really like this format and use it for my personal training customers in San Jose, as well as for many of my own workouts.

2.)   Trisets: Alternate between three different exercises (e.g. push, pull, and lower body such as push-ups, rows, and lunges).

3.)   Circuits: Alternate between four or more different exercises

Though supersets and trisets are excellent alternating set options, I believe circuit training is by the far the best option for time-crunched recreational exercisers who want to boost their metabolism and decrease body fat . That’s one reason why we  incorporate a strength/cardio circuit into about 90% of our monthly bootcamp workouts in San Jose and Los Gatos.  They incinerate calories, as well as develop lean muscle and cardiovascular endurance.

Here’s an example of a 6 station cardio/strength circuit:

Exercise#1- Jump rope

Exercise#2- Dips

Exercise#3- High knee jog in place

Exercise#4- Pull-ups  (if you don’t have a pull up bar, you can do an inverted row at home by putting a broomstick across two chairs)

Exercise#5- Fast lateral shuffle

Exercise#6:  Push ups

Exercise at each station for 1 minute, and take a 10-15 second recovery break between each station.  At the cardio stations (1, 3, and 5) you’ll go “all out” for one minute.  At the strength stations (2,4, and 6), perform sets of 8-12 repetitions of the exercise, and then take a brief rest.  Beginners might get in 2 sets, advanced folks might get in 4 sets during the 60 second time frame (due to less rest time).

Perform this circuit up to four times for an excellent fat burning workout.

The key to creating the optimal hormonal environment for fat loss is to perform each exercise with maximal intensity while separated by brief rest periods in order to accumulate a high volume of total body work in the shortest amount of time possible. Circuit training provides for the best of both worlds and is thus simply unmatched for simultaneously maximizing fat loss and lean muscle gain.

When you’re short on time (and who isn’t these days!), nothing beats a high intensity circuit training workout.

Committed to your success,

Becky

Yes, a lot of us eat more than we should on Thanksgiving (this San Jose fitness professional included).  And, yes, overeating is not healthy.  But again, I say—it’s just ONE day! Let it go.  Enjoy the day. Eat some of the foods you enjoy.  Spend time with people you love.  Be thankful you have legs that get you where you want to go and a heart that is pumping blood to the muscles in your legs.

That said, I do have a challenge for you:  If you don’t do this already, begin a tradition of doing some sort of healthy activity on Thankgiving Day. Your body will thank you for it, and my guess is, you’re going to have some fun doing it!

When I was a kid, my family  and I spent many of our Thanksgiving celebrations with another family  in Palo Alto. Although dinner at our friends’ home was a formal affair, we’d arrive at their home early in the afternoon in our jeans and tennies and head out to the hills around Stanford University for a  walk in the hills. The air was usually chilly and brisk, and we’d have tons of fun running around and laughing. I always enjoyed that part of the day.

Fast forward to today, and my husband, kids and I have created our own traditions.  I now cook the Thanksgiving meal, but I plan my cooking  chores so that I have time to go to the gym or do a quick interval workout at a local track with my dog.  The rest of my family heads out to Willow Glen High School for the annual family “Turkey Bowl”.  Organized by a brother-in-law, this is a traditional (almost) touch foot ball game with about 20 friends and family members ranging in age from about 8 to 50. I usually head over to the game after my workout to get a few pictures.  It’s a fun time and so far, nobody has ended up in the ER (a few of the more “seasoned” athletes have ended up on ice for a few days, though).

Here’s the point:  Yes, Thanksgiving is all about the food. But, how about organizing some sort of traditional activity that your whole family can do? We have some great venues her in San Jose for  outdoor leisure activities whether you’re a recovering couch potato or a seasoned athlete.  Those who don’t want to move too vigorously might enjoy  a walk around Discovery Meadow or Christmas in the Park.  Athletic types could play a few games of tennis at Willow Street Park.  The competitive types could run or walk the Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning.

We all have choices in how we spend our time.  I believe that Thanksgiving is all about good food, friends and family.  There’s absolutely no reason that some physical activity can’t be part of the equation—even if you’re the cook, like me.

Do you have a Thanksgiving family tradition that involves a healthy activity?  Share it here in the comments section!

My best to you and yours this Thanksgiving.

Becky

I want to make sure you know my opinion on the subject–and I’ve got some exciting news on the subject for you, too!

First, you know better than to believe you’re going to pop some pills – ANY pills – and have the pounds and inches melt off like magic. Pleeeeease give that notion up.

If you’ve been working with me or reading this blog for any length of time you know true fat loss comes from a variety of factors, including exercise and proper nutrition.

Second, any fitness expert worth their fees will tell you that any diet that promotes you eat any one food all day long and then eat a sensible dinner, well, don’t bother. Yes, you will lose some weight short-term (due to taking in fewer calories), but as soon as you go back to your old eating habits – and you know you will – you know exactly what happens.

Third, the Acai Berry actually does contain VERY powerful antioxidants and it is getting a lot of good press for that very reason. Antioxidants are extraordinary nutrients that help fight the free radicals associated with aging, cancer risk and other degenerative diseases.  Just keep in mind, acai berry alone is not a miracle cure.

Research has shown that there are a number of powerful antioxidants found in nature, and we should be getting them in our diet. Did you know that the coffee berry (the berry that covers the coffee bean) is one of the most powerful antioxidants on the planet? It’s something researchers have just discovered in recent years.

What’s really cool is that Prograde Nutrition (the only nutrition company I have promoted in my 25 years in business!) has created a Whole Foods based Anti-Aging formula called Prograde Longevity that includes both Acai Berry and Coffee Berry.   It also utilizes Green Tea, Pomegranate, Wolf Berry and Biovin Grape (Red Wine extract).

Just to give you an idea of how powerful this formula is, well, you’d have to eat an entire POUND of raspberries to get the same ORAC value. And in case you’re not familiar with the term, ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity.

Prograde creates their own forumulations based on scientific research.  No phony baloney hyped up claims here.

Here’s the great news:  You can now try Prograde Longevity for free! You simply pay a tiny shipping and handling fee. Just go to Prograde Nutrition to order your FREE bottle today.

But you really do need to hurry. I’m not sure how long they’re going to be able to make such an incredible FREE offer.

Yours in health,

Becky

PS – Remember, Prograde Longevity is NOT some silly weight loss pill. It is a powerful combination of anti-oxidants specifically designed to give you extraordinary protection against dangerous free radicals.

“Love handles”, those little rolls of fat at your waistline, are often the last thing to go when you’re on a fat loss program.  As I’ve mentioned before at this blog, WHERE you hold your body fat is determined in large part by your genetics. However, HOW MUCH body fat you have is almost a direct correlation to to how you live your life:  your calorie intake, your exercise activities, and even your choices of exercise activities.

If you’re battling with your love handles–or you’re struggling to lose your last 5-10 pounds, here are some ideas that will help you win the battle:

-Replace some of your longer, moderate intensity cardio workouts with shorter, high intensity interval training workouts. You’ll burn more calories in an interval training workout and you’ll also stoke your metabolism to burn more calories for a few hours after your workout it over.  Some studies have shown that high intensity interval training may help reduce abdominal obesity.

-Decrease  your consumption of sugary treats and beverages. We’re not sure why, but there seems to be a correlation between  high sugar consumption and fat accumulation in the belly.  This is the one time where genetics isn’t the only thing putting stored fat around your waistline!  So, cut down on added sugar wherever possible.  If you want to take it a step further, cut down on processed carbohydrates in general (white bread, white rice, cakes, cookies, etc.) , and switch to whole grain carbohydrates eaten in moderation.

-Strength train. And, no, I’m not talking dozens of side bends (spot reducing doesn’t work, remember??).  I advocate strength training for lots of reasons.  With regard to the “love handles” issue, my reason is this:  Regular strength training (done right)  increases your resting metabolic rate over time.   Choose exercises that work several muscle groups/joints at a time like squats, lunges, deadlifts, push ups and pull ups.  Lift or push enough weight so that your muscles become extremely fatigued.  This creates “protein turnover”, or muscle rebuilding.  This protein turnover stuff requires energy  (calories) and results in more muscle mass over time.

-Make sure the fat you add to your diet is good fat.  Choose monounsaturated fats such as olive oil, nut butters, and canola oil as your sources of added at.  Mono-unsaturated fats are heart healthy fats.  Some studies have shown that consumption of mono-unsaturated fats decreases abdominal obesity in individuals who carry excess fat in their bellies.

-Add in two more servings of vegetables every day. Okay, so I’m fibbing a little bit here.  I don’t know of any studies that have shown eating more veggies every day will decrease the size of your love handles.  However, most of us don’t eat enough veggies.  Chances are, if you add in two more servings of veggies every day, you may decrease your consumption of some not-so-good for you foods.  In addition, by eating more veggies you’ll increase your vitamin and mineral intake and your fiber intake for the day.  All good things to do for your body.

I could probably add another 3-5 bullet points here, but let’s keep it at a manageable five for now.

The bottom line is this:  You CAN decrease the size of your love handles.  Side bends and ab crunches won’t do it.  A slightly negative energy balance (fewer calories IN than OUT), good food, and smart exercise WILL get you there.

Have you decreased the size of your love handles recently?  Please share your success here by leaving a comment!

Committed to your success,

Becky

We’ve got you covered.

You’re cordially invited to “Freaky Fat Loss“, a boot camp style workout the morning of October 31st in Willow Glen.

Is there a catch to this freebie?  Yes, but just a small one.

We’re asking for a donation of canned goods in exchange for the free workout.

Our goal is to collect at least 150 pounds of food for the Second Harvest Food Bank.

Here are the details:

Time: 10:00-11:15 am

Location:  1205 Pine Ave., San Jose  95125 (in the main hall of St. Francis Episcopal Church)

All registered participants will be entered into a raffle for some cool prizes!

We’ll award a prize for best costume!

Pre-registration is required.  After you register, you’ll be given additional details on what to bring to the workout.

If you’re looking for a great boot camp workout right before the “season of over-eating” begins, mark your calendar now!

Click HERE to register!

Come join the fun

So many of us are crazy busy these days, yet we hold on to the concept that the only “real” workout is an hour long run, or 1 hour of weights at the gym.  I beg to differ. When time gets short, our workouts need to change. My suggestion:  Increase the intensity, and shorten the time frame.

I asked the participants at my presentation to brainstorm a list of exercises that we could do with little to no equipment. Our list included squats, lunges, jumping jacks, push ups, dips, and a number of other body weight strength or calisthenic-type exercises.  From there we randomly picked 4 exercises and a work/rest interval plan.  Viola.  We’ve got a high intensity workout!

In the video below I demonstrate each exercise we chose, and I include beginner and advanced modifications on some of the exercises.  I also include suggestions for beginner and advanced exercises with regard to how many rounds of the circuit you should do (beginners:  you’ll be done in LESS than 15 minutes!).

Once again, my workout companion, Noah the wonder dog, manages to squeeze in another cameo appearance.  At one point in the video, he does his impression of a cow grazing in a pasture for you.

Give this quick, high intensity workout a try this weekend!

Committed to your success,

Becky