THIS FALL AND WINTER, LIFT YOUR SPIRITS WITH EXERCISE

Baby, it’s dark outside! As Daylight Savings Time comes to an end, we will be in for a long, dark winter. It will be pitch black when we wake up in the morning and just as dark when we get home from work.

Is it any wonder that the shrinking daylight can give us winter blues?

Shorter periods of light during our waking hours can trigger a seasonal depression commonly known as “SAD,” statistics indicating that between 4 and 6 percent of people in the United States suffer from SAD each year. Another 10 to 20 percent may experience a milder form of a winter-onset depressive disorder. It may seem like a low percentage, but those numbers translate into millions of people.

Fortunately, the cure for the seasonal blues is easy: EXERCISE! Research published in the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) shows that the psychological and physical benefits of exercise can reduce anxiety and improve mood.

There are several ways in which being active and fit will make us feel better. Exercise releases ‘feel-good’ chemicals such as endorphins, reduces immune system chemicals that can worsen depression, and raises body temperature, which can have calming effects. There are a lot of factors at work here, and they are all good!

While any regular and consistent physical activity is beneficial, fitness boot camps are especially effective because they encompass a wide variety of exercises including, cardiovascular endurance, strength training, movements associated with pilates and yoga, as well as functional training that utilizes multiple muscle groups at once. Incorporating all these types of exercise in a 55 minute workout has a profound effect and will invigorate your body and mind.

Plus, you are part of a group where everyone encourages each other. This social aspect is helpful for people who are prone to depression. The last thing you want to do is exercise alone.

All these perks are the reason why boot camps are rated by the ACSM among the top 20 exercise trends for 2011 – as they have been in 2010.

Of course, no matter how good and beneficial an exercise program is, if you suffer from anxiety or depression, working out may be the last thing you want to do – at least until spring!

When it’s dark outside, you might not feel like going out, but do try to get motivated! Once you do, you will see what a big and positive difference exercise makes to your mood, not to mention health in general.

Get off the Couch and Start Moving

When it comes to physical fitness, we are not exactly a nation of movers and shakers. In fact, according to a just-released survey, a staggering 95.9 percent of respondents lead mostly sedentary lifestyles.

The study, published in the October 2010 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, reports that only 5 percent of 80,000 Americans surveyed for this research, engage in physical exercise on any given day.

These findings are truly alarming! Regular exercise is essential for our health, but far too many people prefer inactivity, exposing themselves to many diseases and even premature death. It is a well-established fact that sedentary lifestyle along with poor dietary habits can lead to type 2 diabetes, obesity, certain forms of cancer, heart disease, strokes, and a host of other chronic ailments.

According to US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), another major study linked sedentary lifestyles to 23 percent of deaths from major – and mostly preventable - chronic diseases.

The good news is that many medical conditions, including cardiovascular disease - the number 1 killer of Americans - could be prevented with sensible eating and regular exercise.
DHHS says physical activity can reduce the risk of developing or dying from heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, and high blood pressure. On average, people who are physically active outlive those who are inactive.

It is absolutely mind-boggling that many serious and potentially fatal diseases could be prevented with something as simple as exercise. Fortunately, getting – and staying - in shape is easy, just take a look at the Physical Activity Guidelines recently issued by the DHHS.

They are the most comprehensive recommendations ever published and they stress the importance of exercise. Of particular interest is the recommendation that, for optimum effect, people should do a variety of workouts, such as moderate and vigorous-intensity activities, as well as muscle-strengthening exercises.

It may not be clear to a lot of people just what kind of exercises they should be doing. They may be totally motivated to start getting fit but then they hit a brick wall because they have no clue which exercise works best on which part of the body or muscle group. This is where fitness camps and programs designed by a reputable professional are really a great value. Because they vary exercise routines, focusing on resistance, flexibility and interval training, boot camps are very effective not only for cardiovascular health but also for weight loss, improved immunity, stronger bones, joints and muscles, and overall physical and mental well-being.

In view of the frightening statistics reported by the new study, I am issuing a “call to action” to all those who’d rather sit in front of TV than exercise: “Wake up and smell the coffee. But after you drink it, start working out like your life and health depended on it – because they do!”

Exercise Boosts Your Immune System

With autumn officially here, we become more prone to colds, coughs, sneezes, sniffles, runny noses, and sore throats that will make us feel miserable through the winter months.

 　

As seasons and weather change, our immune system becomes more vulnerable and less resistant to various infections

　

Fortunately, finding ways to bolster your immune system is not exactly rocket science.

　

The good news is that something as simple as regular exercise can keep all those pesky viruses, germs and bacteria at bay. Among many other benefits of physical exercise is that it is a great immunity booster.

 　

In fact, research cited by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), a leading organization in sports medicine and exercise science,shows that regular exercise can help boost the immune system by either stopping viruses in their tracks before they attack us, or by reducing the duration of cold symptoms by half as compared to those who do not exercise.

 　

These findings are borne out by various studies demonstrating that regular exercise produces macrophages, the cells that defend the body against bacteria. 　

During a moderate workout, these cells circulate through the body, killing viruses and bacteria. And although the immune system returns to its pre-exercise levels very quickly, each workout session appears to reduce the risk of infection over the long term.

　

That may explain why – as studies indicate – people who work out regularly report fewer colds than non-exercisers.

　

Certainly, exercise is not a cure-all for whatever ails you, and even the most ardent fitness aficionados will get sick once in a while. However, there is all this compelling evidence suggesting that exercise may lower your risks of common infections.

　

Now that you know just how beneficial regular workouts can be for your immune system, what kind of fitness regimen should you choose?

　

Luckily, exercises that are most effective in strengthening the immune system are also those that are great for your heart, weight control, and your health in general, so it’s a ‘win-win’ situation. Boot camps and functional training are really terrific because they focus on the entire body, as well as on core and cardiovascular fitness, balance, strength and agility.

　

And since boot camp workouts are fun and varied, there is less risk of getting bored than with a regimen that is either monotonous or depends heavily on gym equipment.　

If boosting your immune system – and health in general – is your goal, then you certainly shouldn’t choose a fitness routine that will get you into a rut and will make you want to give up. The point is to make exercising so enjoyable that you will want to continue. And our progrms do just that.　　

Most know about YO-YO Dieting, but do you know about YO-YO Exercising?

So we all know by now that YO-YO dieting has the reputation of adding pounds to your frame but did you know so can YO-YO exercising.  Besides adding pounds it can add excess stress to your heart and lungs by stopping and starting those intense exercise programs needed to lose the pounds.  I highly advocate going the distance and going all out with your exercise, but not at the expense of finding yourself back on the couch in 6 months packing on the winter weight again. 
And yes that is why the couch potatoes of the world are having heart attacks during these unusual boughts of winter blizzards.  Think about it most people have to remove the snow from their car, driveway, or even their sidewalk.  Whether they use a snow blower or a shovel it takes some exertion, and that exertion can be 3 x greater on the person who remains adverse to any consistent exercise program.  So next time you consider taking a few days off of working out or taking a break think about the potential consequences if you never go back.  You may need to move the snow off our sidewalk again, and it would be a real tragedy if you suffered a heart attack because you just didn't feel like working out for the last year or two.... 
So when you are deciding on what you should do to get started, think about this...Proven and sustaniable exercise programs can come in short bursts of energy which include cardiovascular and resistance (weight) training.  In order to maintain or improve your metabolism it is imperative to move with a little bit of resistance.  Without realizing it you can improve your overall health by increasing resistance and time incrementally.  One thing you need to remember is consistency, try starting a minimum of 3 days a week. Going all out when you haven't done anything in months or years, is like shoveling 18 inches of snow from a 1/4 mile driveway, just not a real good idea.  Make it a priority in your life and give up something that isn't so important, like watching 1hour of T.V.  Stop the cycle of YO-YO Exercising, stay on track,schedule your exercise into your daily calendar and make yourself a priority.

Personal Trainers own journey with getting healthy...join me today

So here we go, here is another person's story, why would anyone care?  I may not be famous but I have a story just like you have a story to tell.  I just turned 40 and realized that my life has only just begun. Yes I am a Personal Trainer and an Adventure Boot Camp owner, but I am still a person that has a story that I believe needs to be told....
I would like to invite you on my journey or my story of getting healthy.  Have I arrived today? Not at all... am I closer than I was a year ago, yes I believe I am.  Is this another story about a person who loses weight, runs a marathon, completes a triathlon, overcomes some major health crisis, or tragedy?  Well it could be if you choose to read and follow my own journey for the next year... See I have started a journey and I am inviting you to come along for the ride.  For years I have tried to connect with that one part of myself that I lost due to my own life experiences.  I am seeking peace in my own world of self turmoil.  I have been afraid to embrace that one side of myself that I felt has failed me... my spiritual side...As I embark on this new stage of my journey, I am putting my story out on a limb that hopefully you may connect or relate to your own journey.  So join me on this journey of spiritual self discovery and pay attention to my posts... give me your comments and your own stories that may relate. Believe me it can be very therapeutic to connect with others who have experienced life in a similar way...

"Confessions of a Realilty Show Loser", the real story behind "Biggest Loser"

Biggest Loser, anyone heard of it?? Silly question right!? So what happens to all those winners or "losers" as they would call them after the show? No longer in the fishbowl of the cameras, no longer on the "ranch" with Jillian or Bob coaching or yelling, giving them their workouts, no longer provided with a pantry full of the right foods, no longer the support of others trying to reach the same goal. What truly happens to them?


If you are truly curious, you need to catch the new show on Discovery Health about Eric Chopin, Season 3 winner named "Confessions of a Reality Show Loser".

Wow, talk about reality check. Not to give the whole show away but Eric has succeeded in returning to his former self, the man he was that brought him to the "Biggest Loser" in the first place. He not only gained almost (just under 40lbs of his previous weight) all his weight back, but he has managed to find himself in a place of no purpose, working for his father-in-law and hating it, a man struggling to find himself. Or is it, that he never truly lost that man with the excess weight, he only lost the weight?...

What I have learned with my own struggles in the world of weight loss is that you are human and that your journey never ends when the weight comes off. If some of you know me, know that I was once a bodybuilder and trained just as hard as Eric did on the "Biggest Loser" and achieved what some may call the perfect body. Yet achieving the perfect body means that you are expecting perfection from yourself each and everyday. And although you may look the part you certainly don't feel the part of the perfect body.

See the belief is that if you look good on the outside then everything is perfect, you are a successful, happy and you have no worries or problems. So if you are overweight and see someone with the "perfect" body you want to achieve that "perfect" body to make all your troubles go away. But did you know that you still take the mind of your "fat" self with you. Politically incorrect or not when someone is truly overweight the thoughts they experience are loaded with unwanted fat, garbage, trash. Yes there are some who experience weight gain due to medical conditions etc. however they are few and far between.

In a journey to “lose weight” one needs to address those “fat” thoughts in order to achieve a sustained and maintainable “weight loss”. As you will see in Eric’s journey back to “weight loss” he is addressing his true realities of being “fat” in his thoughts.

Although I am not a big fan of the “Biggest Loser” on many levels I do see some lesson’s to be learned. You can see the show addressing on a small scale the emotional “fat loss” journey, as well as this year they addressed the financial “fat loss” journey. However the need, for emotional and physical fat loss, that brings most of the contestants to the show gets lost in the game for the big bucks, as Eric Chopin learned the hard way.

If you are a fan or not a fan of the “Biggest Loser” I recommend you catch an episode of “Confessions of a Reality Show Loser” and what it really takes to lose weight.

Becoming a recovering multitasker to achieve harmony with my physical self....

Have you ever described yourself as a multitasker?

Let's face it multitasking is just another word for you never getting anything done and you can never focus enough on one thing to finish it... Our lives are always in perpetual motion and it seems that motion is constantly getting faster. As I am writing this blog, I am in the process of answering my emails and facebook messages all at the same time, oh and don't forget letting the dogs in and out of the backdoor.

I always thought I was a multitasker and yes I can say that I am. Yet I have realized owning my own business and being a multitasker means I can be in a state of chaos.

The opposite of chaos is harmony and order. I have realized with everyday that I work to grow myself with my business and my life I need  harmony, clarity and focus.

Yes, I know you are wondering what is my point to all this? What does that have to do with your fitness goals? Everything! Have you ever watched someone get on a treadmill or bike, in the gym, and read a magazine or for that matter talk on the phone? Or maybe you see your neighbor walking with their dog, stopping and starting (because the dog has to do his or her business of course). That is truly fantastic that these people are actually taking the time to exercise. Yet are they truly achieving or are they resigning themselves to multitask while exercising also...

Did you know that exercise can also be a time for you to connect with your physical self.  If you spent more time focusing on bringing harmony to your body by moving your body and being in the moment of exercising you can achieve so much more with your fitness goals.  Just like any other goal if you focus, have clarity, and take action you can achieve a better self physically as well as mentally.

So, if you are multitasking while exercising you will find that your physical self is also in a state of chaos. When it comes to exercise and physical fitness it is important to remember if you are chaotic you will most likely get chaotic results. You need to have a plan, a realistic desired result and be able to work that plan.
How do you set up a plan? Just like me writing a business plan I chose to seek the advice of others, who have been in business and know how to set up the plan, you can ask for help in finding harmony with your health and wellness goals.

Trying to reach your goals of health and wellness especially if you have been in the habit of avoiding the subject are destined to fail if you choose to go at it alone.  In order to find harmony with your chaotic goals, support and guidance are needed to help you achieve your best self.  With help you can find clarity, focus and peace in achieving the best possible person you can be in this world.

Everyone has a destiny to be great in their own world or right, yet, if you are currently living in chaos you are doing a disservice to your family, friends and this world.  Give up your control of every situation and give in to your right to ask for help.  Their is an abundance of options to help you achieve your best self, so open yourself and your mind to the possibilities, shake off the chaos, and find harmony and clarity with help. 
When you go off track with your health and wellness often times you are in a state of chaos in more parts of your life.  With support and guidance you can achieve harmony and peace with all parts of your life, as a professional in the health and wellness industry I am always seeking support and guidance to achieve a better self.
 
So, start your recovery process now.. Make a commitment to clear out the chaos and clutter and join our next Boot Camp, or try out our  Personal Training Services.   What are you waiting for? 

Hope the message of this holiday season

Well I heard a very powerful message this past weekend that impacted me to my inner core.  Now I am not talking about my muscle core but my soul core.  Hope is one of the gifts of this season.  Wow, I never really thought of hope being a gift.

The definition of hope is "A confident expectation and desire for something good in the future."

I can honestly embrace the true definition of hope today, yet my faith in hope was truly tested this past year.
This time last year my family and I were contemplating our hope in my brother's future. My brother had become it seemed hopeless, he was no longer the man we remembered him to be and everything about what we knew of him was different.  My parents, my three sisters and I witnessed my brother crash through a coffee table by simply trying to put on his shoes.  We all asked, was he drunk, was he on drugs, what could be the problem?  Maybe the past year of getting a divorce had a huge toll on him, maybe that is why he failed to take a shower, or couldn't remember to bring all of his children's clothes, why he always had a headache and was often dizzy.

See my brother is a man of great accomplishments (at least to me) my brother is my only brother. So when he graduated from West Point, got his Industrial Engineering Degree while still in the Army, then after he retired from the military he earned his law degree, I marveled at his intellect and perserverance. I aspired to be half of the person he had become.

At the age of 36 he married and proceeded to have 4 wonderful children. Although he and his wife divorced he seemed ready to take on the task of being a single parent. He wanted to be a father to his children whether he was married to their mother or not. Yet he seemed to be making mistakes that didn't seem like him.  He didn't show alot of emotion (what man really does) and looked very disheveled. So my brother was never one to be perfect however his military training taught him to be presentable.  So we knew when he fell through the table it had to be something more...

After a few Dr's appts and Psychologist evaluation, it was determined he was depressed and he was put on anti-depressants.  Things didn't seem to be get any better and he in the meantime lost custody of his children, to only get a few supervised visits.  This was definitely not the man we knew or loved, he would never do anything to lose the custody of his children, there had to be something more...

My sisters with the help of their husbands took my brother to the hospital where they committed him to a Psychiatric ward.  My brother's situation had become so dire that he was living in his own filth and no longer going to work.  No one could get in touch with him because his phone was shut off.  We knew something was wrong yet we didn't think he was going crazy, he was going through a hard time and needed help, that is what we thought.

After 2 weeks in the Psychiatric ward, they released him, yet he still was off balance and he was now vomiting at the drop of a hat.  We had all hoped that he would get better however we failed to really see the true signs of what was really happening.  My parents finally after much probing and prodding of the Dr's asked for my brother to get a CAT scan and low and behold there it was, he had a tumor taking up a large portion of his frontal lobe in his brain.

Within a few days my brother was taken to a Neurologist and it was determined the type of tumor he had was most likely a meningioma, which is usually non cancerous but can be just a dangerous depending on the size.  Surgery was then scheduled for less than a week and now our faith and hope in the Dr's came into play. 

I have found this time of year a time to reflect on the year's that have past and the year's to come.  How can I change myself for the better?  The only thing that can help me make those changes is my hope in my future. 
So any changes I have to make need to be backed by my confident expectation and desires for good in the future.  When one loses hope that is when you find you have lost your confidence in a good future.  You fail to see your desires in a positive way, you lack patience in the process. Often times the hopeless find themselves contemplating their existence and if there is any good in the future.

Just recently I found out a young man of only 31 committed suicide, just 1 week after Thanksgiving.  You would think he had all the hope in the world with a new wife and two beautiful children.  Yet he found no hope in his future and left his family to grieve his loss.  Is there still hope for those left behind?  What can those little girls learn from this horrific event?
How many times have you found yourself deciding to make a change for the better.  You will embark upon a new health and wellness regime to only lose hope that you will ever change.  What most of us forget on our journey is that it takes time and patience to see your desired results.  How many times have you lost focus and hope in your desire to be healthy?

This holiday busy season and your fitness goals....

If anyone knows, owning and running your own business can take many hours of many days and your holidays tend to be working days.  Believe me, I wouldn't trade my business for the world. However, I have found I can totally relate to my clients when they say, "I just can't find any time in the day to exercise".  Yes, I said it, sometimes I do not think I have time to exercise. Yes, I am a dedicated professional that is encouraging all my clients to find the time to exercise while thinking in the back of my mind, "When am I going to get my workout in today?" So, I compromise and I park a little further from the door, I take the stairs and I take the few minutes I may steal to add any exercise into my day.
Maybe I have more opportunities than most to include exercise, however, your workout with me is your workout not mine.  Does that mean I am perfect and I am able to do everything on my list while also getting in my exercise.  No, I am not perfect, I am human and find that I have to prioritize and balance my life just like everyone else. So, my message to you today is to take time this holiday season to slow down and prioritize your life, find balance, don't forget about your own personal needs and take care of your health.  Be sure to include some sort of exercise into your day.  If you just don't want to think how to get started or what to do to incorporate exercise into your life, call a professional a Personal Trainer, or join my next Boot Camp.   
Make the commitment to yourself today! Put balance back into your life and rely on a trained professional to help you meet your goals.