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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.

Nancy and I had the opportunity to do an interview on WXKL 1450. The volume is a little low to start, but we get warmed up after a few minutes. We focus on helping low back pain with stretching, but also talk weight loss, personal training and more. Click Here:

Thanks to Deb Klaiber for doing the interview, and the station for having us!

back pain, flexibility, health, health and wellness, stretching

How was your Thanksgiving? If you are like most people, including me, you probably ate more food than normal, as well as different kinds of foods than you eat on a normal day (like pumpkin and pecan pie, very tasty). You know what? That’s ok, on one condition - you don’t stretch the holiDAY to a holiMONTH - or longer.

You see it’s not Thanksgiving day, or Christmas day that stops or reverses our fitness progress, it’s when we use the holiday season as an excuse to slack off on our good nutritional and exercise habits.

Thanksgiving to New Years stretches about 6 weeks, about 12% of the year. Just about enough time to undo everything you have done for the entire year, or worse!

How long does it take to lose 10 pounds of bodyfat compared to how long it takes to put it back on? Do you really want to start over?

What are some strategies to get through the holidays and keep on progressing with our healthy lifestyle goals?

1. Keep Training - I worked out Thanksgiving morning. Do you know why? Because it was a training day, simple as that! I slept a couple hours longer than I normally would that morning, and I had a great workout.

2. Be Aware  - Going to parties can be hard on your nutrition. When we are in social situations we tend to follow the crowd - and that usually means eating, and eating, and eating some more.

3. Plan Ahead - Have a plan in place before you go out shopping and to parties. Don’t be tempted to grab fast food because it’s convenient. Plan when and where you are going to eat - and choose healthy. At parties scout out the table and hit the vegetable plate first - it will fill you up and help keep you from overindulging in the other goodies.

My goal is to come out of the holiday season in better shape than I went in. I don’t want to have to by bigger pants for Christmas.

I always hated getting clothes for Christmas anyway!

diet, fat loss, health and wellness, Nutrition, weight loss

So says a British government think-tank. (You can read more below)

Are they right? Is it inevitable that we all turn into a bunch of fat slobs, that there’s nothing that can be done?

BALONEY!

No one makes you stuff your face full of garbage that you know isn’t good for you. No one makes you sit in front of the idiot box when you could be training. You are responsible for what you eat and how much you exercise.

The article actually uses the words “personal responsibility”, and then goes on to say that this isn’t enough. I don’t get it. If we all took responsibility, then there wouldn’t be anything left to do. If you are waiting for someone else to solve your problems, you are going to be waiting a lifetime.

Instead, taking action every day will get you where you want to go. Get out there and get moving.

What did you do today that moved you closer to your health and fitness goals?

read more | digg story

exercise, health and wellness, Nutrition, obesity

We were not designed to sit on our butts all day. Get up and move! It is very easy to sit at your desk for hours when you are busy. I have a timer on my computer (you can download it free here) that reminds me to get up and move every hour.

If you ever experience an afternoon slump, there is an easy way to revive your energy. Follow this simple stretching series and you’ll feel like a completely new person.

read more | digg story

exercise, flexibility, health and wellness, stretching

I was reading here that some health organizations are questioning the explosion of weight loss surgeries in recent years. Very interesting in terms of a examination of the psychological and emotional causes of obesity, which are very real.

To me it is pretty clear that going down the bariatric surgery path is not best option for most people. No all, just most. If it was so effective, why are patients having second and third surgeries to address the same problem? Another case of treating the symptom and not the cause.  Consistency of good exercise and nutrition habits can lead to success, as my own weight loss and success in keeping it off shows.

Pills, potions, and even surgery is not the answer for the vast majority of us. Permanent fat loss can be achieved without fads and gimmicks. Easy? Nobody said it would be easy, but it is the better, healthier way.

diet, fat loss, health and wellness, lose weight, Nutrition, weight loss

Ran into this blog from Jonathan Miles. Good to see a man after my own heart when it comes to energy system training. Nothing more boring (and time wasting from a health perspective) than long sessions of traditional cardio. Great advice!

cardio, exercise, health and wellness

Is it any wonder Americans are getting fatter and fatter?

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recently reported on the activity levels of American adults broken down by state.

The CDC’s minimum recommended activity standard is as follow; 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity 5 days a week, or 20 minutes of vigorous exercise at least 3 days a week.

Examples given for moderate activity includes anything that gets heart rate or breathing up a little, such as bicycling, gardening, or taking a brisk walk.

Vigorous activity would include anything that causes heavy breathing or a large increase in heart rate, such as aerobics, heavy yard work, etc.

Two things stand out to me:

1) These are not very high standards for activity levels, and very reachable for the average person, no matter what shape they are currently in.

2) It is interesting to me that the top of the list are predominately cold weather states. What this means I am not sure, but it stood out to me. I would love to hear theories on this.

So where does your state rank? My home state of New Hampshire ranks 6th (these are 2005 numbers), which is not too shabby, but at only 54.4% of adults getting the minimum recommended activity, which is pathetic.

Taking a look at these numbers, it is no wonder America is fat and sick. Are you doing your part to live a healthier lifestyle?

Most Active States

Alaska: 56.7%
Vermont: 55.9%
Wisconsin: 55.6%
Wyoming: 54.8%
Montana: 54.7%
New Hampshire: 54.4%
Oregon: 54.3%
Washington: 52.9%
Maine and Utah: 52.8%
California: 52.7%
Colorado: 52.5%
Arizona and Idaho: 52.3%
Hawaii: 52%
Massachusetts: 51.3%
Washington, D.C.: 50.7%
Connecticut: 50%
New Mexico and Rhode Island: 49.6%
Minnesota and Nevada: 49.5%
Virginia: 48.8%
Michigan: 48%
Kansas: 47.8%
Maryland and Ohio: 47.6%
Pennsylvania: 47.5%
North Dakota: 47.1%
South Dakota: 46.9%
New York: 46.4%
Indiana: 46.1%
Illinois and Missouri: 45.8%
Nebraska: 45.3%
Iowa: 45.2%
Texas: 44.8%
Arkansas and Delaware: 44.7%
New Jersey: 44.5%
Florida: 44.4%
South Carolina: 43.7%
Alabama: 41.9%
Oklahoma: 41.3%
North Carolina: 41.1%
U.S. Virgin Islands: 40.4%
Georgia: 40.2%
West Virginia: 39.6%
Mississippi: 38.6%
Louisiana: 36.5%
Tennessee: 35.4%
Kentucky: 32.9%
Puerto Rico: 32.2%

exercise, health and wellness, lose weight, obesity, weight loss

Some people will try anything to get out of doing any actual work to get healthy.

What will they think of next to get people looking for the easy way out to part with their hard earned money?

read more | digg story

exercise, health and wellness, lose weight, weight loss