You Can Do It - Stick to It Challenge Day 21 (Sunday) Check Ins

“From small beginnings come great things.”

Congratulations on finishing the 21 day Stick to It Challenge. This was just the beginning to a more disciplined approach to your fitness. I hope you expect great things from yourself in the future. You took the time to develop great habits. Now keep going!

If you want to continue with daily accountability, don't forget to join our 8-week Jean Drop Challenge. Details here:
http://greatshapefitclub.blogspot.com/2011/01/jean-drop-challenge.html


Post your accountability below.

You Can Do It - Stick to It Challenge Day 20 (Saturday) Check Ins

The secret to success is this... get started and then KEEP GOING.

Post your accountability below.

Coppell Boot Camper of the Day

Friday, January 28th

Way to go Anna Maria Mirbahaeddin! You were tired and didn't feel great but you fought hard to give your workout your all. Excellent fight!

Highland Village PM Boot Camper of the Day

Thursday, January 27th

Kudos Jenise Cerna--this girl was so intense the entire workout. She hammered out all her reps with excellent form at an incredible pace!

NICE!!!

You Can Do It - Stick to It Challenge Day 19 (Friday) Check Ins

“Make sure your calendar represents the priorities you claim to be most important in life.” - Darren Hardy


Post your accountability below.

Highland Village AM Boot Camper of the Day

Thursday, January 27th

Tracy Allan - Did awesome on the Boot Camp Survivor workout and is making a great comeback in a short amount of time after being out of class for a while. Welcome back. Way to push it!

Coppell Boot Camper of the Day

Wednesday, January 26th

Way to to Tara Silver-Malyska! Tara was promoted from 8 pound weights to 15 pound weights and still posted great numbers on a hard workout.

Good job pushing yourself!

Highland Village PM Boot Camper of the Day

Monday, January 24th

Congrats Lynn McCoy - for doing great. In only her second week, she has doubled her weight and has stellar form. Great job Lynn!

Lynn was Tricia's guest for BFF week and loved it so much she is sticking around.

You Can Do It - Stick to It Challenge Day 18 (Thursday) Check Ins

“Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t.”

- Jerry Rice
Post your accountability below.

You Can Do It - Stick to It Challenge Day 17 (Wednesday) Check Ins

"The more disciplined you become, the easier life gets."

Post your accountabiility below.

You Can Do It - Stick to It Challenge Day 16 (Tuesday) Check Ins

If you fail to plan, plan to fail.- Unknown

You are almost done with this challenge but the discipline that you have gained can be used for a lifetime. Remember these are your goals, this is your life. Make a plan and follow through. Post your accountability below.

Highland Village AM Boot Camper of the Day

Tuesday, January 25th

Way to go Andrea Halovach for her outstanding squats! Her thighs get parallel to the floor, every single time!

How to Build Interval Cardio Workouts

Interval Training Made Simple

If you have been a reader of my blog or newsletter for any amount of time, you know that I believe interval training is hands down the more effective form of cardio for improved body composition (getting a lean, athletic appearance). Many research studies as well as personal accounts have been cited to back up the claim that this high intensity, short burst, exercise form creates the optimal metabolic disturbance and hormonal environment to lower body fat while maintaining muscle (thereby keeping your metabolism high). However, many women still believe that they have to exercise at least 45 minutes on some machine or go running to finally fit into those jeans stuffed in the back of the closet. I will say it again….save the marathon cardio sessions (this includes those back to back group exercise classes) for when you are actually training to run a marathon. Excessive, endurance based cardio sessions are more likely to get you burned out or injured before they get you into your favorite pair of jeans. So now that you know why you should be doing interval training, I will share how you can build, simple, effective interval workouts to get fit and lean in the comfort of your own home.

What is an interval?
An interval is simply a period of very hard work followed by easy work. You repeat the interval for a total number of rounds for a complete cardio workout.

How long should my intervals be?
Depending on your level of fitness and the exercise you choose, you can use intervals that are 1 to 4 minutes long. Work periods generally range from 30 seconds to 2 minutes and a rest periods between 30 seconds and 3 minutes. A beginner interval would be 1 minutes of work to 3 minutes of rest while an advanced interval (for someone who has done interval training consistently for 3 to 4 months) would be 2 minutes of work to 1 minute of rest.

How long should my total workout be?
This form of exercise is extremely challenging (if done correctly) and a 20-minute session (excluding warm up and cool down) is plenty time to reap the benefits of this form of training. One of the appeals of intervals to many busy women is the ability to increase the challenge for greater fitness gains or increased body composition results by changing the type of exercise you are doing, increasing the intensity or duration of the work period, or decreasing the intensity of the rest period- all without increasing the total time spent working out.

What kind of exercises will I do?
The exercise options for interval training are limitless. You can stick to the more traditional forms of exercise and use a treadmill, elliptical, or stair machine or use bodyweight movements to create a workout that can be done anytime and anywhere.

How often should I do interval training?
If you are just starting, I would suggest adding one session of interval training per week to your current exercise routine. Eventually, if needed for your desired results, you can work up to three sessions per week. Interval training is taxing so it is important to allow time for recovery.

Can I do interval training if I am out of shape?
Interval training can be done by people of all fitness levels since the “hard work” done is relative to each person and the exercise selection can be catered to the individual’s abilities. Someone who is deconditioned may be challenged by doing step jacks (low impact jumping jacks) while an advanced trainee may need advanced jumping jacks variations to be adequately challenged.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

If you want to get started with interval training, incorporate the following interval workout into your current exercise routine once per week to start and eventually add more sessions.

Sample Interval Workout:
Choose 4 exercises from the demo videos.
Warm up by doing each exercise in your interval workout for 10 repetitions in a slow and controlled manner. Repeat for a second time.
Do exercise #1 for 30 seconds then march in place for 90 seconds.
Do exercise #2 for 30 seconds and then march in place for 90 seconds.
Do exercise 3 for 30 seconds and then march in place for 90 seconds.
Do exercise #4 for 30 seconds and then march in place for 90 seconds.
Repeat the sequence once more.
Cool down by marching in place for minutes.
Entire workout will take 22-25 minutes. If you have less time, only do the sequence once but do not skip the warm up and cool down!

Low Impact Exercise Options


High Impact Cardio Exercise Options


To make keeping up with the time and number of rounds without being distracted from pushing hard a breeze, order a Gymboss interval timer like the one I'm using in the second video. Click here to get yours:

Have fun and tell me which exercises you chose and how your interval cardio went by clicking on

“comment” and leaving me a comment in the comment section below.

For free body transformation resources including my free reports, “3 Reasons Fitness Programs Fail, Is This Happening to You?”, “Top 5 Fat Burning Boot Camp Exercises”, and a three part Nutrition Crash Course, subscribe to my newsletter at www.GreatShapeFitClub.com.

Coppell Boot Camper of the Day

Monday, January 24th

Congrats Anna Maria Mirbahaeddin! I'm a stickler for form and hers was perfect!!! Also shoutout to the other Nikkia Maxwell, Nichole Bentley, and Cameron Smith...superlow squats, no halfway stuff :)

You Can Do It - Stick to It Challenge Day 15 (Monday) Check Ins

"When faced with a challenge, look for a way, not a way out."
---David Weatherford

Almost home ladies. Post your accountability below.

You Can Do It - Stick to It Challenge Day 14 (Sunday) Check Ins

"In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves... self-discipline with all of them came first."
Harry S. Truman

This one explains itself. Keep apsiring to greatness by mastering you. I am having fun with this challenge. Hope you guys are too!

Post your accountabiltiy below.

Coppell Boot Camper of the Day

Friday, January 21st

Congrats Tara Silver-Malyski! You rocked a very challenging workout after coming back from being under the weather. Way to hang in there!

Highland Village PM Boot Camper of the Day

Thursday, January 20th

Congrats Jessica Garross, for completing level 3 with 10lb weights for all 5 rounds! She was unmatched and incredibly impressive.

Shout outs to Susan and Lynn for jumping right in and executing an incredibly difficult workout with excellent form and high energy.

You Can Do It - Stick to It Challenge Day 13 (Saturday) Check Ins

"Seek freedom and become captive of your desires. Seek discipline and find your liberty."
- Frank Herbert

I love this one! I feel the need to explain it and tell you how I think this works. A constant search for flexibility and options in your plan (whether it be for greater fitness, wealth, business success or whatever)will cause you to be in a place where you are always choosing and moving very slowly toward (and sometimes away from) your goal. The flexibility or options you build in for yourself are actually causing you to be in a continued, intense state of longing for the goal simply because your actions are not taking you quickly to where you want to arrive. You make sacrifices in pursuit of the goal without actually consistently making the sacrifices that are most critical for attaining your goal. You feel frustrated because you feel that you are making sacrifices without reward (thus becoming a captive of your desire).

On the other hand when you seek to become disciplined enough to work your plan day in and day out without constantly seeking to build in options and flexibility, you move quickly and consistently toward your goal. You feel your sacrifices are worthwhile. Your confidence grows since your efforts are producing results. Knowing that your disciplined action taking produced a desired result is extremely liberating.

The Bible even speaks on this subject of seeking discipline. Check this out:

He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly. (Proverbs 5:23)

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:11)

Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper. (Proverbs 13:4)




What do you guys think about this? Weigh in in the comment section as well as leaving your accountabiility post.

You Can Do It - Stick to It Challenge Day 12 (Friday) Check Ins

Saying "yes" to something always means saying "no" to something else. Say "yes" to achieving your fitness goals and dreams!

Post your accountability below.

You Can Do It - Stick to It Challenge Day 11 (Thursday) Check Ins

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams!" - Henry David Thoreau

Keep going!

Post your accountability below.

Highland Village AM Boot Camper of the Day

Thursday, January 20th

Congrats Valerie Cooper! Valarie got 2 level promotions in one workout. Way to really push it on a super tough workout!

Coppell Boot Camper of the Day

Wednesday, January 19th

Congrats Cameron Smith! Cameron is making huge strides with her fitness and growing in confidence in her physical abilities with each passing session. Way to double the weight and still crank out great numbers and awesome form on a tough workout!

Highland Village AM Boot Camper of the Day

Tuesday, January 18th

Congrats Daryle Currie for increasing the intensity in her workout with heavier weight and increased range of motion especially on her squats. She was grunting and everything today...loved it!

Shout outs also to Chandra and Jaime for taking the challenge and using the 20lb kettlebells I brought this morning!

You Can Do It - Stick to It Challenge Day 10 (Wednesday) Check Ins

"The secret of success is constancy of purpose."
--Benjamin Disraeli



Remember your WHY and keep going!

Post your challenge accountability in the comments below.

Highland Village PM Boot Camper of the Day

Monday, January 17th

Congrats Tricia Duhon for cranking it on the Boot Camp Survivor workout and killed the Leg Crank finisher!

The Jean Drop Challenge

Great Shape Fit Club Boot Camp announces....

The Jean Drop Challenge

Drop 1-2 jean sizes in eight weeks with our limited time semi-private training option. If you have been skipping your metabolic cardio workouts (or just going through the motions), need more accountability with your nutrition, or just need an excuse to get laser focused long enough to get some serious results, this program may be for you!

The process begins with a personal nutrition assessment and consultation to help identify the appropriate nutrition approach for you. Next will be the participant kick off meeting where we will explain how to leverage the resources in this program to guarantee your success and we will take your picture in your "goal jeans". What will follow is eight weeks of intensive metabolic conditioning workouts to help you stoke your metabolism, burn fat, and shape your body like never before. You will meet with your small group twice weekly for short 45-60 minute workouts. You will go through a proper warm up, core, and conditioning work and stretching. We will try on your goal jeans again at scheduled times during our program to measure your progress. You will throw away your scale and focus daily on doing the required work to fit in those jeans. You will be held accountable through weekly food journal checks and accountability posts in our private forum. Our program will conclude with a celebratory jeans shopping trip where fit specialists from a local jean specialty store will help you identify the perfect brand and cut for your body type to show off your amazing new shape.

What is included?



Personalized Nutrition Approach


Two Weekly Semi-Private Metabolic Training Sessions

Two Weekly Group Boot Camp Sessions

Off Day Strength Training Workouts powered by Workout Muse

Mandatory Weekly Food Journal Accountability

Video Lessons on Mastering Your Motivation and Conquering Self Sabatoge

Private Participant Forum

Private "Create the Vision" Session for Early Registrants (February 5th)

Celebratory Jean Shopping Trip

Results, Skills, and Empowerment to achieve any other goals you have set

Where do we train?
Our home base for training will be in my private home gym. There will also be outdoor workouts incorporated throughout the program at various locations in Coppell and Lewisville.

When do we start?
Our kickoff meeting will be on Saturday, February 12th at 8am. However, we will have our "Create the Vision" session on February 5th. We will make and present our vision boards while enjoying healthy refreshments. Individual nutrition consultations will take place on February 10th - 12th so register early to be all set to hit the ground running at the start of the challenge. The challenge runs from February 13th through April 9th.

EARLY REGISTRATION BONUS: Register before January 31st and receive $50 off.

What is my investment?
To train with a fitness professional 4 times per week as well as the constant accountability built into this program could easily cost $1200 per month. However, I have no desire for you to pay $1200. Since you will train with a small group and I am motivated to take a small group of action takers on this journey to inspire and motivate other women to achieve the same thing, I am offering this program for only $499 (this will include group boot camp classes and semi-private metabolic conditioning sessions). If you are currently a member of Great Shape Fit Club, your investment will only be $249 (your current boot camp membership rates will apply). There are a lot of things in life that you may spend $499 on but if dropping your jean size and finally taking control of your body and your life is a priority right now, then I would recommend that you invest it in yourself.

MY GUARANTEE: I promise that if you follow this program, you will see results. I am so confident in this program that if you do not see results, I will give you your money back. I know that if you give it your all, you will get results. All it takes is your best effort.

Self Sabotage - The Enemy of Your Fitness Success

Secret Self Sabotage Behaviors- Part I
Stop These Behaviors to Get Fit Faster

Whether you are a seasoned fitness enthusiast or fitness novice, it is important to recognize and stop destructive behaviors that sabotage your journey to a fit and healthy body. If you identify with any of the sabotage behaviors, stop standing in the way of your results by implementing one or all of the suggested solutions. Most importantly, find someone to be accountable to regarding those behaviors. Constant accountability to a support system is a habit that is common among fit people.

Sabotage Behavior #1: Setting Wimpy Goals That Lack Passion

The Problem:

If you are not passionate about and emotionally attached to achieving your goal, you will not consistently take the action required to achieve it.

The Solution: Get real about what you want and why you want it. This can be uncomfortable because you may be admitting to feelings that you have denied or ignored or risking failure because your goal is aggressive. The risk of failure and the vulnerability that comes with setting passion filled goals is better than the alternative of guaranteed failure in pursuing a goal that you really don’t care about. Set the goal, get real about why, and then guarantee your success. To guarantee your success, get a solid plan specific to your goal from a professional fitness coach. Increase your belief in the possibility of attaining your goal by finding others who have accomplished what you want to accomplish and learn from their journey. Finally, remind yourself daily of your goal and your motivation for achieving it with affirmations, a vision board, or reading inspiring transformation stories.

Sabotage Behavior #2: Setting Vague Workout Appointments

The Problem

: In this world of fast paced lives, that which is not scheduled is often left undone. It is not good enough to know which workout you plan to do on what day. You need an appointment.

The Solution: Set an appointment and then honor it the way you would any other appointment. Only skip the appointment if it is an absolute necessity. When you must change the appointment, be sure to schedule it for another time. If you can not realistically fit the planned workout in your schedule at another time, commit to doing a quick 5-minute workout that day and pick up your regular workout schedule with the next scheduled workout. Don’t carry the guilt of the missed appointment and allow the “makeup workout” to hang over your head. Get intense for five minutes and then start fresh the next day.

Sabotage Behavior #3: Not Making Time to Eat

The Problem: When you skip meals, you negatively affect your metabolism. PERIOD. Not only are you missing out on an opportunity to spike your metabolism with a meal, you are also setting yourself up to be so hungry that you make poor food choices for the next couple of hours or even the rest of the day. When you are overly hungry, it is highly likely that you will overeat or make non supportive choices at your next meal or graze on snacks until your next meal. Either one of these will move you away from your goal.

The Solution: Decide that you are worth the effort that it takes to get the body you want, that fit people are as busy as unfit people, and that every meal doesn’t have to be a perfectly plated, warm culinary delight. Once you have accepted those truths, implement these busy woman nutrition solutions. For a meal at your desk, in your car, or in meetings, carry a few single servings of protein powder. You will be able to add water for a quick meal on the go. If you are sure that you will need to drink protein shakes while away from home, make your shakes at home and then use drink Tupperware to transport them to eliminate a step while on the go. Eat a fruit and nut bar like a Larabar for a super portable mini meal. If are able to eat full meals but still find you are too busy to stop and prepare them, make sure that every meal is packaged in individual Tupperware before you start the day. Set a timer and eat on cue. Finally, make salads and other meals you wouldn’t mind eating cold if you find that you don’t have time to warm your food.

This article offers a few solutions to the most common sabotage behaviors that I see while coaching clients. If you find other solutions work better for you, use those instead just make sure that you acknowledge your self sabotage behaviors, get accountable, and then overcome them. In part two of this article, we will explore the rest of the most common self sabotage behaviors.

To get free body transformation resources including free fitness reports and a nutrition crash course, subscribe to the Great Shape Fit Club newsletter at www.GreatShapeFitClub.com .

You Can Do It - Stick to It Challenge Day 9 (Tuesday) Check Ins

"For every disciplined effort there is a multiple reward." Jim Rohn


What rewards have you noticed for your effort in this exercise in discipline? Post your accountability below.

Coppell Boot Camper of the Day

Monday, January 17th

Congrats Cameron Smith! I pushed her and she knocked it outta the park!

You Can Do It - Stick to It Challenge Day 8 (Monday) Check Ins

“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” - Jim Rohn

If you keep working this challenge, it will work for you! Post your accountability below.

You Can Do It - Stick to It Challenge Day 7 (Sunday) Check Ins

"It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up."
Vince Lombardi

Keeping getting up ladies. Post your accountability below in the comments section.

You Can Do It - Stick to It Challenge Day 6 (Saturday) Check Ins

“Once a man has made a commitment to a way of life, he puts the greatest strength in the world behind him. It’s something we call heart power. Once a man has made this commitment, nothing will stop him short of success.”
Vince Lombardi

Time to put that "heart power" to use ladies!

Put your accountability post in the comments section below.

Coppell Boot Camper of the Day

Friday, January 14th

Congrats Michelle Traw! Nice job on your complex combo move - you made it look easy!

Highland Village PM Boot Camper of the Day

Thursday, January 13th

Congrats Felicia Adbdulla for her committment to achieve the repetition goals she set for each round.

Shout out to Kelli Podeyn as well who kept her 10lb weights the entire time for each round even if it was because it "felt funny" to try to do it without :-). Awesome job to all.

You Can Do It - Stick to It Challenge Day 5 Check Ins

Achieving a goal isn't always neat. Most time it is not. Your plan is a roadmap to your goal but when obstacles arise that make sticking to the exact plan impossible, go over, around, or under that obstacle to get to your goal! Remember that as we head into the week in.

So tell me... how is day 5 going?

Highland Village AM Boot Camper of the Day

Thursday, January 13th

Congrats Kalpana Kelkar! Kalpana cranked out the first round of today's complex earning herself a promotion to level 3. She took that promotion with stride and continued to get respectable repetitions in the next timed sets while getting those hips low on her lunges. Awesome job Kalpana!

Great job Highland Village AM group. You guys all gave great effort this morning!

You Can Do It - Stick to It Challenge Day 4 Check Ins

"It's the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen."
Muhammad Ali

What are you telling yourself today ladies?

Time for day 4 check ins for our challenge. Don't forget to check in using the comment section below.

Coppell Boot Camper of the Day

Wednesday, January 12th

Congrats Nikkia Maxwell! Nikkia had a serious breakthrough this morning. She took the challenge to find out what she was truly capable of this morning and nearly tripled the weight she used all while maintaining stellar form and a respectable number of repetitions for the timed sets. Awesome workout lady!

Shout outs also to Anna Maria Mirbahaeddin, Pamela Nourvle, and Cameron Smith who all bumped up their weight in response to this morning's challenge and surpised themselves with their own strength. Way to go ladies!

You Can Do It - Stick to It Challenge Day 3 Check Ins

"The good Lord gave you a body that can stand most anything. It’s your mind you have to convince.” (Vince Lombardi)

Keep going strong ladies. Post your accountability below!

Highland Village PM Boot Camper of the Day

Monday, January 10th

Congrats Felicia Abdullah! She came in and put every frustration she had that night into her workout and killed it. Of special mention were her front squats and power sumo deadlifts. Way to channel that energy Felicia!

Highland Village AM Boot Camper of the Day

Tuesday, January 11th

Congrats Daryle Currie for increasing the intensity in her workout with heavier weight and increased range of motion especially on her squats. She was grunting and everything today...loved it!

Shout outs also to Chandra Linquist and Jaime Fechter for taking the challenge and using the 20lb kettlebells I brought this morning!

You Can Do It - Stick to It Challenge Day 2 Check Ins

Hello Ladies,
Time to check in for day 2. Are you sticking to it? Post your daily accountability below in the comments section. I'm sure that you are still fired up and ready to take on the world since this is day 2 but I wrote an article that you may want to read now to prepare for what can happen just a few days down the road- a decrease or loss of motivation. Read today's article by clicking the link below to know what to do when the "I'm just not motivated" bug bites you.

Motivation Doesn't Last

Motivation Doesn't Last

Motivation doesn't last. You are not imagining it. Trying to stay motivated is like trying to hold sand. It can slip through your fingers bit by bit until you don't have any left. If it were your goal to always have sand in your hands (I can't imagine why it would be- but bare with me and my analogy please.), you would have to make sure that you were constantly scooping some more in your hand to make up for what was being lost. Motivation is the same way. You have to do something DAILY (and sometimes even multiple times per day) to refresh your motivation.

Top 3 Daily Motivation Rituals

1. Change your password to some of your online accounts to something related to your goal. Here are some examples "veggies2x"(if eating veggies with two meals a day is your goal), "exdaily"(if your goal is to do some form of exercise daily) or "nosoda4me" (if your goal is to abstain from soda). You will be reminded of your goal multiple times per day as you log on to your computer.

2. Write down and carry your goals with you. Read them in the morning and night and as often as you need throughout the day to feel motivated to make the necessary daily choices to achieve your goal.

3. Create a vision board (or a few vision boards) and place it where you will see it often. Feel stressed and tempted to raid the pantry? Go look at your vision board instead and emotionally connect with the things that you will achieve by just staying the course with your plan.

What tricks do you use to stay motivated? Weigh in below in the comment section.

Don't forget, if you haven't already, join us in our "You Can Do It - Stick to It" Challenge. This is another tool you can use to keep your motivation high as you check in daily to report on your progress. Click here for details and to join in the fun. We are only on day 2 there is still time to get in!

Coppell Boot Camper of the Day

Monday, January 10th

Congrats Nikkia Maxwell! You made your form corrections immediately and held them throughout the rest of each exercise!

Good focus!

Can Beauty Rituals Help You Lose Weight?

Is it possible that a body scrub, facial or applying your favorite eye shadow can help you to get in the best shape of your life? Absolutely! There are many ways that beauty rituals can help you achieve your dream body. Here’s why applying mascara or doing a weekly facial scrub can help you get into a little black dress.

While working with women on their journeys to transform their body to its former glory or even to an image in their head that they have never attained before, I have observed a few common traits of women who repeatedly fall short of their goals that their more successful counterparts don’t share. The habits and factors have nothing to do with how much weight they lift or even how often they attend the gym but have everything to do with their ability to follow through with their program to their ultimate goal.

Here are the most common factors that keep women from achieving their dream body even when given access to a proper nutrition and fitness program and the support of a coach: mindless night time snacking, unchecked stress levels, living in a constant state of hurry, an inability to see themselves as the hot, fit person they are becoming, disconnection with their body as evidenced by not being able to recall what and when they ate, exercised or slept, not believing they are worth the time it takes to create the body they desire.

Beauty rituals such as bathing, skin care, applying makeup, shaving, waxing, styling hair or manicures and pedicures can help with slowing down a rushed mind and becoming connected with what you are doing (or not doing) to your body. When a woman looks good, she feels good, and consequently will have the level of awareness and confidence necessary to consistently follow through with the proper fitness and nutrition steps needed to achieve her goal. A few minutes spent in the morning applying moisturizer and makeup can set the tone for better self care for the rest of the day. Night time beauty rituals such as bathing, hair washing, or skin routines can help with unwinding from a stressful day without snacking on unsupportive food. So ladies, while you are lifting weights to shape the body you want, don’t forget to lift a brush, a mascara wand, and whatever else helps you look and feel your best. You are worth it!

Coppell Boot Camper of the Day

Friday, January 7th

Congrats Cameron Smith! She has had an awesome first week making all of her workouts and pushing herself with each workout. Congrats Cameron!

Highland Village PM Boot Camper of the Day

Thursday, January 6th

Congrats Adriana Rodriguez for her fight to keep her form. The more tired everyone got, the harder it was to keep our backs straight but Adriana really put up a fight.

Good job lady!

Highland Village AM Boot Camper of the Day

Thursday, January 6th

Congrats Chandra Linquist- Way to go on the very challenging Sequence Complexes workout. You pulled out the big girl weights, bumped up a level in progressions and still brough major intensity. Way to go!

Coppell Boot Camper of the Day

Wednesday, January 5th

Congrats Anna Maria Mirbahaeddin! Awesome form and intensity on a hard workout!

Highland Village PM Boot Campers of the Day

Monday, January 3rd

Congrats:

Jenn Garross- Coming back on day one with a 'can do' attitude. Way to attack the Thunder & Lightining workout!

Dara Hayden- Talk about coming back with a bang. Dara came back with big girl weights and created her own level 4 on one of the exercises. Somebody is motivated. Great work!

You Can Do It - Stick to It Challenge Starting Soon

A Different Kind of Boot Camp Challenge

You Can Do It - Stick to It Boot Camp Challenge

I am sure you aren't surprised to see that a boot camp owner is starting a challenge in January. It is the time of year when people are most motivated to make a change and re-start their fitness journey. What may surprise you about this boot camp challenge is that there are no measurements or pictures to take. There is no one winner. Anyone who participates wins! This challenge is about developing the one characteristic that differentiates those who start to get fit in January with those who will be fit next January... that characteristic is DISCIPLINE. Here's why this is so important.

Successfully transforming your body takes a mix of the right information, action, and determination. I will however dare to say that none of those factors will get you the body you want without a strong sense of DISCIPLINE (the ability to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done whether or not you feel like doing it). I feel so strongly about the need to develop (or strengthen) our personal discipline that I decided the first challenge of the year would be geared toward training this very important characteristic. I will be participating right along with you guys for this fun ride.

My Purpose: To help each participant get a glimpse of her personal potentital and discover just how well she can do when she decides and them commits.

My Goal: To cause each participant to raise her personal level of belief in her ability to "stick to it" so that she can benefit from that ability in future fitness and personal endeavors.


Here's how the challenge works...

Step #1: Set your 21 day goal. This goal must be an ACTION and not an outcome. The goal can be something that you will do or that you will commit to refrain from doing WITHOUT EXCEPTION. Ideally the goal should be one of your "sticking points" or behaviors that typically stands in the way of achieving your goal. Make sure the goal is a habit that you view as worth your while to correct or else you won't be motivated to take this seriously.

Some examples are: I will eat 5-6 small meals per day (great goal for a meal skipper). I will only watch TV after I have completed my workout (for those that "don't have time" to exercise). I will only have 2 alcoholic beverages per week (for those that generally overconsume adult beverages). You get the point.

Step #2: Register for the challenge by posting your goal and name in the comments section of this challenge announcement blog post.

Step #3: Check in daily regarding your performance. You don't have to post a lot. Simply state "I can do it. I stuck to it!" and your name in the comment section of each day's check in blog that I will post.

Step #4: Be sure that you are subscribed to my newsletter. THIS IS MANDATORY TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR PRIZES. If you are a boot camp member and receiving my Fit Club newsletter or are already subscribed to my public newsletter , you don't have to resubscribe. Not sure if you are, then go to box on the upper right hand corner of this blog to get your free body transformation resources when you subscribe. If you are already a member, you will get an error message when you enter your email address that is already on my list.

Benefits of Participation
#1: Support and accountability to make positive lifestyle changes that support your body transformation.

#2: Increased discipline and confidence that can serve as momentum for even greater fitness and life endeavors.

#3: Eligibility for prizes that I will give away at irregular and unannouced intervals. The point of this is that by sticking to your daily accountability post, you have a chance to win prizes that support your fitness lifestyle. It pays to post daily because I will always pick a random winner from the list of people who have posted their accountability status that day.

THE DETAILS:
Who Can Enter?
Anyone in the United States with an email address.

When do we start our daily posting?

Monday, January 10th.

Cost of Participation: FREE!

No excuses- post your goals in the comments section now. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Holiday Hotness Transformation Challenge Winners

Congratulations to our Holiday Hotness Boot Camp Challenge Ladies!

Completing a body transformation takes the right mix of correct information, consistent action, and discipline and determination to stay the course. Add in a holiday season with busier than usual calendars and more nutritional tempations and it gets even more interesting.

For stepping up to what they knew would be a huge challenge, I want to personally congratulate our Fit Club Fabulous Five who completed the Holiday Hotness Challenge. They had the courage to start, overcame obstacles, recovered from slip ups and most of all, THEY FINISHED... and every single one of them showed improvements in their performance challenge.

THE PERFORMANCE CHALLENGE WAS....

Complete as many reps as possible in 2 minutes in the following exercises with a 2 minute rest between exercises. Try it at home yourself to get a taste of what they went through.

Jump Squats

Push Ups

Dumbbell Swings

Plank Hold (hold as long as possible)

Congratulations Felicia, Jenn, Nikkia, Pamela, and Shelley!

Now to announce our category winners......

For greatest percentage improvement in body circumference measurements and most visible difference in before and after photos....

Transformation Category Winner

Pamela Nourvle

Congratulations on a 1.9% reduction in body measurments. Great job!

Now for greatest percentage improvement in maximum reps in our performance challenge...

Performance Category Winner

Shelley Pierson

Congratulations on a 48.7% improvement in performance. Way to go!

These ladies will each receive a cash prize for their very hard work. Stay tuned for the next challenge coming up shortly!

Highland Village AM Boot Camper of the Day

Welcome to 2011 - New Year, New You!
Tuesday, January 4th

Congrats Valerie Cooper! She added the jump to her sumo squats!! Outstanding.

Coppell Boot Camper of the Day

Welcome to 2011 - New Year, New You!
Monday, January 3rd

Congrats Nichole Bentley! You attacked the power section of our workout! Your moves were explosive and deliberate!

Way to bring it...