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If you haven’t checked out our new Boot Camp Site yet, you owe it to yourself to get more info.

Our first camp of the year kicked off Monday, and we are having a great time - working really hard - but still having fun.

Who’s at this camp?

Well, we have both men and women - some fit, some not so fit. The youngest is 20 years old, and the…ahem…most mature is 49.

Some want to lose weight, others want to keep up with their kids, and others are looking for better athletic performance.

What they have in common is the desire to hurt their trainer after each workout. (Not really…I hope)

We split into two teams today and has some friendly competition.

What did we do?

I can’t spill all the beans, but here are a few examples:

• Sled Drag
• Slam Ball
• Sandbag Carry
• Divebombers
• Inchworms
• And a lot more…

Sure beats zoning out on the elliptical, I can tell you that.

The feedback we are getting over the first few days is tremendous…I’ll get some pictures up soon.

So what are you waiting for?

Head over to GetFitNHbootcamp.com and register for our June sessions - we are adding an evening class in order to make sure you can get here.

First come, first serve…and registrations for June are already coming in.

See you there!

Our first 2008 “Get Fit NH” Boot Camp launched this morning, and I am psyched!

Eight brave souls took the challenge, showed up at 5:00am, and got started on the path to more energy, better fitness, and a healthy lifestyle.

Fitness Bootcamp is a great way to get your fitness program jump started, at about 1/6th the rate of personal training.

You can’t beat that.

And group training is a lot of fun.

Everyone has their own strengths, and it’s fun for me to watch each group come together and help each other out.

I have to have a thick skin though; I do tend to get a few dirty looks and choice words thrown my way.

We are signing up for our June classes now, so head on over to http://getfitnhbootcamp.com and sign up today.

It’s time to get off the sidelines and into the game.

I’ll keep you updated on how it’s going.

See you soon.

Have you seen those new “100 Calorie Packs”?

You know, the ones that are designed to help with portion control?

You may have seen them on shows like “The Biggest Loser”.

Now I’m all for portion control, but does eating less garbage change the fact that it is still garbage?

Yeah they taste good, and rally, what’s the harm of such a small amount?

Well for starters, at least if you’re anything like me, what’s the likelihood you can eat only one of these packs at a time?

And will 100 calories of sugar and fat really help your hunger?

So what’s the alternative?

Our friend Jayson Hunter, a registered dietician, has put together a report that offers some healthier choices.

From the Intro:

“We are always looking for that low calorie snack that won’t k*ll our diet or ruin our fat loss goals. Yet, there are so many options out there we get confused and just don’t know what to choose.

First, what is a low calorie snack?

Second, how do I know how many calories a food has in it?

This report is broken down to 0-99 calories snacks/foods and 100-200 calories snacks/foods. The 0-99 foods you would choose if you just needed a quick pick me to get to your next meal that is maybe 1 hour away.

The 100-200 calorie foods is where maybe you have 1-2 hours before you can eat again and need something that will sustain you a little longer and provide more satiety.”

These snacks are perfect not only for those looking to lose weight and eat healthier, but are great choices for our kids as well.

To find out what foods Jayson recommends, read the rest of his “100 Calorie Snack Report” (pdf format), here

I train barefoot at every opportunity, and I believe it has made a very positive contribution to healing my back. I saw a good article on shoes - and the reasons why you might want your feet to go “au naturale”.

P.S. Once you get past the “4 million years of evolution” ( I always thought it was “billion and billions”), it’s a good read.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89830802

I’ll admit it.

I don’t like throwing ANYTHING away. (My wife will confirm)

So when I read some articles on the potential dangers of teflon coating, I noted it with some interest, but didn’t really do anything about it.

In general we cook with cast iron, glass and stoneware.

But there are still a few relics of other types of cookware hanging around.

Like the teflon coated muffin tins.

Pretty harmless, I thought, and handy once in awhile.

Or maybe not.

I baked (yes, me) some protein muffins the other night.

Very handy for a quick snack, and good for you. (Contact me if you would like the recipe)

Even though the pans are teflon, I always use some oil  to help prevent sticking. (Someone will probably tell me I’m not supposed to - but who doesn’t?)

Even so, I had some trouble with the muffins sticking.

But I eventually got them out.

They look pretty good from the top, heh?

I even ate one, and it was pretty good!

The next day I was bagging some up to put in my lunchbox.

And I turned one over.

And promptly threw the rest of them, plus the muffin tin, in the trash.

Why?

Here’s the answer:

No, I didn’t spray paint the muffin silver.

That’s what my muffin tin decided to deposit on my culinary creation. 

I don’t know why this happened, and I don’t care.

Bottom line is I wanted a muffin - without the metal.

How many times did I eat that garbage - without even knowing it?

Even if you can’t see it, doesn’t mean microscopic particles aren’t there.

A couple take home lessons here.

Just because something is new, improved, makes life easier, and promises great results doesn’t mean it’s good for you.

Goes for the latest “foods” that are being marketed as healthy, or the latest fitness gadget that you can lounge in and have a great body.

Stick to the basics.

Regular demanding exercise.

Sensible nutrition habits.

Plenty of sleep.

Oh, and you might want to consider ditching the teflon.

I received a this picture from a friend today.

What’s it got to do with health & fitness?

Only everything.

Without these brave men and women putting it on the line every day, I couldn’t do what I do.

As a veteran who never saw combat, I have the highest respect for those who have and do.

Don’t like the war?

This picture has nothing to do with that.

And frankly, that’s your business.

If you live in the US, you are free to express so peacefully without fearing unjust consequences.

Just don’t take it for granted.

Never forget…

I was reading an interview with Dr. Kara Mohr, from Mohr Results, on behavior modification as it relates to permanent weight loss.

It was an excellent interview, but the thing that struck me most was the TITLE of the interview.

Here it is:

“Change Your Behavior, Change Your Body”

Those six words are the sum of all that needs to be done to achieve your body composition goals.

You MUST change what you are doing in order to change the results you are getting.

There is no magic. Just hard work.

I appreciate the fact that people read my blogs and newsletters.

But all the reading in the world isn’t going to help you lose the muffin top.

That’s why we always try to give you something to DO to help you reach your goals.

How many of you downloaded the breakfast worksheet that we put up last week?

Why not?

If you won’t take 5 minutes to do that simple exercise, ask yourself how committed you really are.

We are here to HELP you, because we sure can’t do it FOR you.

Here in the northeast we are a couple months (or less) from beach weather.

Maybe you don’t care about having a “beach body”. That’s ok.

It’s not all about looking good; it’s about feeling good and being healthy.

It’s hard to be healthy if you are 30 pounds overweight.

You KNOW it.

What are you going to DO about it?

Remember:

“Change Your Behavior, Change Your Body”

There is never a better time to get started than NOW!

I wrote last week about the importance of not only eating breakfast, but gave some specifics on the types of food that are good choices and why. (http://www.cr8health.com/2008/03/31/break-that-fast/)

Now I want to know.

Did you make any changes to the way you prepared that important first meal of the day?

Maybe you already eat a good balanced breakfast, and no changes are necessary. Awesome!

But if you read it and saw some changes would be helpful, did you actually make those changes?

If not, why not?

You must take action if you want to lose those extra pounds.

Being a web warrior and just reading about it never changed anything.

Besides, web surfing doesn’t burn very many calories.

Here’s what I want you to do, today.

Download this handy breakfast planning worksheet and print it out.

(right click link, then choose “save target as…”)

I’ll wait a second.

Got it?

Good!

Now I want you to plan out your breakfast for an entire week. 7 days worth.

Using the guidelines in the last article, write down the food and quantity for your protein, complex carb and vegetable choices.

Now tally it up and make your shopping list.

After you’ve completed your shopping, set aside some time to cook a few days ahead.

It’s an important part of staying on the plan. If you are not prepared, you will grab what’s quick, and usually that’s not the best idea.

If steel cut oats is your choice for complex carbs, you could cook enough for 3 or 4 days. Same thing goes for most veggies.

You’ve probably heard it before - Failing to plan is planning to fail.

Set yourself up to succeed.

You have the tools.

I want to hear how it’s working for you.

Now go do it!

I’ve posted the results of the 30 day challenge at our support site. Pay us a visit and sign up to join us today! 

Read all about it here: 30 Day Challenge Results

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fat loss, health, weight loss, wellness

Most of us know that breakfast really IS the most important meal of the day.

The very name “break-fast” gives us an idea of why we shouldn’t skip this important meal - we are breaking a fast - our body needs nutrients after we sleep and have not eaten for 8-12 hours.

Pretty simple. Or is it?

For years I ate pretty much the same thing for breakfast.

A (BIG) bowl of cereal with milk
A couple slices of toast with butter and/or jelly
A glass of orange juice

Doesn’t sound too bad, right?

First of all, the serving size for cereal is 1 cup. I don’t know of anybody (I’m sure I’ll hear from you) that eats only 1 cup of cereal at a time. So in the interest of being somewhat realistic, my typical breakfast above consists of:

2 cups oat cereal
1 cup 2% milk
2 slices of bread
1 Tablespoon of butter
1 Tablespoon of jelly
1 cup of orange juice

Probably less than many of us can (and do) eat.

Here’s the breakdown:

Total Calories: 748
Fat: 22 grams
Protein: 21 grams

Here’s the real kicker - There are a whopping 124 grams of carbohydrate and only 7 grams of fiber!

Don’t get me wrong, morning is one of the best times to get your carbs, as your body is ready to utilize them. The challenge is keeping our blood sugar in check. This plan ain’t gonna cut it.

Looking back now, I realize the fact that I was hungry an hour or two after breakfast was because my blood sugar was going wild after eating all those simple carbs. So I ate again, and again, and again…well, you get the picture.

So what’s the alternative?

Here is one that I personally enjoy -

Omelette made with:
2 whole extra large eggs
2 extra large egg whites
1/4 cup salsa
1/4 onions
1/4 cup green pepper
1/4 cup red pepper

1 cup oatmeal
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup strawberries

So what’s the breakdown?

Total Calories: 490
Fat: 15 grams
Protein: 30 grams
Carbohydrate: 62 grams with 9 grams of fiber (a much more ideal ratio)

This breakfast meets the criteria we have talked about in the past:

Lean protein with every meal
Vegetables with every meal
Complex carbohydrates at breakfast and workout time

Meal #2 will help you feel full longer because of the blood stabilizing effect of complex carbs combined with higher protein.

This is just one of many simple changes to your nutrition that can make a huge difference in how you look and feel.

A little more work? Absolutely!

Aren’t you worth it?

Cr8Health and Fitness, Dean Carlson, diet, fat loss, health, Nutrition, weight loss, wellness