Friday, May 27, 2011

Coppell Boot Campers of the Day

Friday, May 27th
 
Congrats Michelle Traw & Pamela Nourvle - Great intensity on the "Simple and Not So Sweet" workout.  Plenty of air under the toes during those squat jumps.
 
Shout out to Jessica for bringing a friend.  Thanks so much for spreading the Fit Club cheer!
 

Highland Village PM Boot Camper of the Day

Thursday, May 26th
 
Congrats Adriana Rodriguez: she showed a little fatigue at the end of this killer workout only because she was truly giving it her all.  She went after the minute of mountain climbers like she had something to prove and she did.  Awesome job!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Highland Village AM Boot Camper of the Day

Thursday, May 26th

Congrats Daryle Currie!  Daryle rocked the Spartacus workout.  She had such determination to stay on levels 2 and 3 variations and didn't quit even when the workout got really rough.  Way to go Daryle!
 

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Highland Village AM Boot Campers of the Day

Tuesday, May 24th
 
Very high energy workout from everyone this morning.  Our rockstars today are Sheryl Dorsey for getting down the ladder to 14 and Kalpana Kelkar for picking up the pace at the end of a tough workout on her 5 dot drill.  Great job ladies.

Highland Village PM Boot Camper of the Day

Monday, May 23rd
 
Congrats Kelli Podeyn!  Kelli is unstoppable.  She is digging deep and conquering exercises and heavy weight with great form on a consistent basis.  She doesn't know it yet but we have decided that she has officially outgrown her 15 pounders.  Way to go Kelli!
 

Coppell Boot Camper of the Day

Monday, May 23rd
 
Congrats Nichole Bentley....she told me she didn't think she could do push presses with 15lbs for the entire minute but she pushed through and rocked it out!

Highland Village PM Boot Camper of the Day

Thursday, May 19th

Way to go Jennifer Comacho!
 
She handled what ended up being a 1 on 1 personal training session like a champ.  She was pushed hard and she never backed down from the challenge.

Highland Village AM Boot Camper of the Day

Thursday, May  19th
 
Congrats Jamie Fechter- Jaime was flying on those alligator walks.  Way to raise the bar.  Also awesome job on the finisher.  Way to work!
 

How to Deal With Change While Pursuing Your Fitness Goals


Dealing With Change While Pursuing Your Fitness Goals
How to Stay on Track



Some women struggle to achieve their fitness goals and spend months or years losing the same pounds over and over again only to quit and regain them. They sometimes mistakenly believe that the women who achieve their goals have more time, less stress, more support, better genetics and a host of other advantages that give them the edge in the game of fitness. However women who achieve their fitness goals are women just like you with many of the same challenges. Their advantage is simply that they are determined to reach their goal. They realize it may take longer than they thought and be harder than they thought but quite frankly they don’t care because WANT the goal that they have set. If you have ever seen ladies at a sale at their favorite department store, you know that nothing can stop a woman going after something she wants. So assuming that you really want the fitness goal that you have set for yourself, lets explore how to deal with some of the most common changes that occur during a body transformation journey.


The Change: The loss of an accountability buddy.
It is difficult to “lone ranger” your way to your fitness goal. A fitness buddy can make the journey more enjoyable and easier to stick to so when you lose your accountability buddy either due to relocation or a buddy’s change in priorities, it is important to find another one. This doesn’t mean ending your friendship with your previous buddy if they are not sabotaging your efforts, it just means finding another person who is on the same road that you are and linking up to hold each other accountable and up the fun factor. You can find a buddy at boot camp, your gym, or even on an online forum. You can provide encouragement through texts, Facebook messages, and phone calls. If you live close and can work out or cook food together that’s great too. You may be surprised how much support you can receive from people you don’t even know.

The Change: New job or family demands.
It can be challenging to keep up with your old routine when your life demands change. Whether your work schedule changes, your children are out of school for the summer, or you are required to travel more than usual, you can continue your fitness journey somewhat seamlessly. The first step is to assess the change and identify which parts of your previous routine don’t fit anymore. Next come up with a new routine that does fit. Be open minded about different ways to fit in your exercise and supportive foods. When things change…things will have to change in order for you to keep going on your fitness journey. Don’t be stubborn. Assess and change before your results suffer. Get help from a professional if you don’t know how to adjust your program.

The Change: You feel less motivated than before and feel old habits creeping back. As counterintuitive as it may be- sometimes getting results isn’t all you need to stay motivated especially if your ultimate goal is a long way off. If you find yourself feeling less than motivated, set mini goals that support your overall goal. Knowing that you will have the satisfaction of a “win” in the near future can be enough to keep you pushing forward and resisting the temptation to slow down in your efforts. Having mini goals can also help you steer clear of the “I just thought I would be closer by now” feelings that sometimes creep in and sabotage your progress. You will have something to be excited about achieving soon as well as the momentum from a recent win fueling you.

Highland Village Boot Camp Body Transformation Success - Adriana Rodriguez

Adriana Rodriguez
Highland Village Boot Camper Suceeds at Body Transformation



Find out how Adriana Rodriguez made a nutritional 180 degree turn for body transformation success.

Top 5 Exercises for Busy Moms

Top 5 Exercises for Busy Moms

May is the month in which we celebrate our mothers. We also celebrate the unofficial beginning of summer at month’s end with Memorial Day cookouts and outside celebrations.


Everyone wants to look and to feel good during this time of the year, but sometimes that can present more of a challenge for mom. In many instances, after mom is adored and spoiled on the second Sunday in May, she is then thrust in the command seat for planning for the rest of the month’s and season’s activities for the family. There is little room for mom to take care of herself.


Everybody has something about their body they wish they could have altered, transformed or magically disappear. Moms are not exempt from this. Concita Thomas, owner and head coach of Great Shape Fit Club, says that the most common “mommy body” complaints she hears are: “I don’t think I will ever get back in my pre-pregnancy jeans.” “I can’t get rid of my pooch.” “What happened to my waistline?” “My rear end is saggy.” “My arms are so jiggly.”
How can moms move forward in the battle of reclaiming a more satisfying physical image? Thomas says moms must build and maintain muscle to effectively address those complaints instead of focusing on spot reduction. She also suggests that moms must follow a cardio conditioning plan and along with sensible, balanced nutrition to help them shed fat to show off the new shape that is built with weight training.


How can that be accomplished when moms are faced with so many responsibilities and challenges and so little time? Thomas suggests using FIVE workout moves that can be done at home, at the park, or on the road. The moves are high intensity exercises that incorporate many large muscle groups that place a high demand on the system to make training more efficient.


THE SQUAT & PRESS
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder level. Inhale as you lower down into a squat position. Stop when your thighs are parallel to the floor. Exhale as you press the dumbbells overhead while you straighten your legs and return to the starting position. Repeat for specified number of repetitions.
Trainer Tip: Keep your abdominals contracted throughout the entire movement. Stick your hips back as if you are reaching for a chair when you lower yourself, and keep your weight in your heels and press through the heels.


THE BENT OVER ROW
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Bend your knees and lean forward from your waist, keeping your back flat. Drive your elbows back and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Lower the weights to starting position. Repeat for the required number of repetitions.
Trainer Tip: Keep your shoulders back and hips tilted forward (push your buttocks out) to maintain a flat back position. Keep your knees softly bent to take pressure off of your lower back and squeeze your shoulder blades together to initiate movement to ensure that your back muscles are fully engaged.


THE LUNGE
Stand with your feet staggered- one being approximately 15” – 20” forward from the other. The front foot should be flat on the floor. The heel of the rear foot is raised- only the toes are in contact with the floor. This is the ready position. Push your hips back as you bend both knees to lower yourself until the thigh of your front leg is parallel to the floor. Push through the heel of your front leg while straightening both legs to return to starting position. Repeat for the specified number of repetitions on one side. Switch sides and repeat.
Trainer Tip: Keep your rear heel raised throughout the entire movement. Keep your shoulders back, chest high, and gaze forward. Use your rear leg it as a “kick stand” only. DO NOT push through your toes.


THE PLANK
Get into a tabletop position with your knees and palms on the floor. Walk your hands forward- away from your body until your hips are fully extended (no more bend in your hip). Place your forearms on the ground. Either remain in this position with your knees on the ground (for beginners) or tuck your toes under and extend your knees fully so that your entire body is one straight line (intermediate/ advanced). Hold this position for the required amount of time. seconds.
Trainer tip: Keep your abdominals contracted to maximize effectiveness and avoid lower back discomfort, and keep your buttocks contracted to support the move and to avoid lower back discomfort. DO NOT allow your hips to rise above or sink below the rest of your body.


THE SWING
Stand with your feet wider than hip distance apart with your toes, knees, and hips pointed slightly outwards while holding one dumbbell in your hands directly in front of you just below hip height. (Each hand should be holding one head of the dumbbell.) Lower yourself into a squat position while pushing your hips back and allowing the weight to fall slightly behind your body. Press through your heels and forcefully push your hips forward to return to starting position while swinging the weight up to shoulder height. Repeat for the required number of repetitions.
Trainer Tip: Use the force from your hips to propel the weight up and forward. Keep your chest up and back flat to avoid lower back discomfort.


For those who may want to go the extra mile, a bonus move is THE BURPEE.
Stand with your knees slightly bent and feet shoulder width apart and arms by your side. This is the ready position. Squat down and place the palms of your hands on the floor in front of your feet. Thrust your feet backward and land with your legs fully extended behind you like in the top position of a push up. Thrust your feet forward and land with your feet behind your hands. Stand up to return to the starting position.
Trainer Tip: If jumping bothers your joints or causes other adverse affects, walk your legs out behind you and then back to the forward position one at a time instead of thrusting them both at the same time.

Putting It All Together
Warm up for 5 minutes. Do the first 5 exercises for 50 seconds each. Allow yourself 10 seconds to prepare for the next move. Complete all five exercise back to back for one round. Run through the entire series for two to four times for a ten to twenty minute workout. On days that you really want a challenge, after completing the main circuit, do 50 burpees as quickly as you can. Time yourself and get better each time. You can do this as a “finisher” to your main workout or as a quick stress reliever on the days that your life stressors make you want to run to the cookie jar. Run to the burpees instead and your body will thank you! Follow the workout with a cool down and stretching

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Body Transformation Success- Highland Village Boot Camp's Kalpana Kelkar

Body Transformation Success
Highland Village Boot Camper Kalpana Kelkar Shares Her Story



Find out how this wife, mom of two, and busy pediatrician buckled down and got rid of the "somemthing is better than nothing" mentality to finally crack her personal body transformation code. This interview was very funny as Kalpana was about as transparent as could be about what was holding her back from getting results and how she broke free.

Highland Village AM Boot Camper of the Day

Tuesday, May 17th


All the ladies tore the workout up today! Outstanding job by everyone but our boot camper of the day goes to Jamie Fechter. Not only did she perform impeccable level III variations on nearly everything but she got the furthest down the ladder during the finisher.

Highland Village PM Boot Camper of the Day

Monday, May 16th

Shelley Pierson & Adriana Rodriguez - Congrats ladies for advancing to leve 3 plank jacks-  one of the most intimidating boot camp exercises.  You guys rocked it!  Congrats!
 

Practical Nutrition Tips for Busy Moms


Top 5 Practical Nutrition Tips for Moms



Mom is responsible for so many things on a day-to-day basis. She keeps the house cleaned and well-managed, keeps up with the children, their school work, their friends, their health, and their activities. In all that, many times mom’s health and nutrition routines either go out the window or never even enter the house for consideration.


Here are Concita's helpful tips that can help a mom regain and retain her nutritional focus as well as maintain that of her household’s. First, moms should focus on small, frequent balanced meals composed of protein and produce. Those meals will keep their energy levels and metabolism high so that they can effectively tackle all their other life obligations.


Busy schedules, fast paced lifestyles and potentially stressful and unpredictable demands on mothers’ time can lead to meal skipping, mindless munching, and over consumption of nutritionally bankrupt foods that often lead to fatigue and weight gain.


A three-fold solution to this problem, is for moms to recognize their basic nutritional needs, set up their living environments for effective nutritional success, and discover healthy meal and snack options that are also fast and convenient.


With the following FIVE simple tips, a mom can effectively reclaim her nutritional fervor.

1. Start the day off right. Have a breakfast shake or parfait.

2. Don’t treat yourself like the kid food garbage disposal. Keep your hands off of your children’s food. While whole grain goldfish or raisins may be good snack for growing, active, children, most adults won’t need as much carbohydrates as their growing children. Even if you feed your children exactly like you eat with mostly protein and produce from whole food sources, finishing up their meal leftovers will add up in the long run and pack on the pounds so make it a habit to pack up their leftovers to reserve for them later.

3. Keep food out of sight to eliminate mindless munching and stress eating. When it takes effort to get to the food, you will be more aware of what, when, and how much you are eating.

4. Develop a weekly menu plan and choose a cooking strategy that meshes with your lifestyle and personality (i.e. bulk cooking, twice weekly cooking, or every other day cooking).

5. Make vegetable and fruit chopping and cooking a family affair. Give children age-specific tasks, turn up some music and have fun!

Monday, May 16, 2011

Coppell Boot Campers of the Day

Monday, May 16th
 
Congrats to Janis Townsend & Monica Johnson!  Janis' range of motion is improving so much!!!  Her lunges were lower than i have ever seen them!  Monica for rocking it out with all level 3's and pumping 20's on the shoulder presses!!!!

Friday, May 13, 2011

Coppell Boot Camper of the Day

Friday, May 13th
 
Congrats Pamela Nourvle!  She rocked a hard workout soldiering through on level 3 of everything with 15 pounders and then.... KILLED the Century Challenge.  Down and halfway back up with only 10 minutes to work!  Those frogger burpees were looking ridiculous.  Way to go!
 
Also shout out to Tara, Janis, Angie, and Demetrice for all making at least the entire 100 reps of the Century Challenge.  Way to go!
 

Highland Village PM Boot Camper of the Day

Thursday, May 12th
 
Way to go Jennifer Camacho!  She has been working so hard every workout over the last few weeks.  It has been fun watching her gain strength, which she truly showed last night.  Fantastic overall workout from Jennifer! 

Highland Village AM Boot Camper of the Day

Thursday, May 12th
 
Congrats Jaime Fetcher!  Great job on bumping up in weights and killing the alligator walks!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Coppell AM Boot Campers of the Day

Wednesday, May 11th
 
Congrats Demetrice Jasmin & Chantrell Lacey!  You quadruppled your weights on the gobble squats and rocked it!!  Keep pushing yourselves!

Highland Village AM Boot Camper of the Day

Tuesday, May 10th

All the ladies did an outstanding job with this killer workout.  Our shining star for the morning was Daryle Currie for her awesome pushup-position rows at the end of the workout.  This girl never gave up!

Highland Village PM Boot Camper of the Day

Monday, May 9th
 
Congrats Shelley Pierson!  Shelley gave the really tough Spartacus workout a great effort.  Way to hang in there Shelley especially on those Jump Lunges.
 
Nice work!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Coppell Boot Camper of the Day

Monday, May 9th
 
Nice job Michelle Traw!  I didn't have to correct her form one time today...she went low on squats and her planks were perfect form!

Coppell Boot Camper of the Day

Friday, May 6th
 
Way to go  Tara Silver-Malyska!  You rocked your workout and really stepped up your intensity!
 
Keep going!

Highland Village PM Boot Camper of the Day

Thursday, May 5th
 
Congrats to the pushup queen...Jenise Cerna!  The ladies were given a challenge on where to touch their chin on their pledge pushups.  This girl not only touched it but didn't compromise form in any way to get there. You rock! 

Are Your Lifestyle Habits Making You Fat?

Discover the Top 3 Lifestyle Habits Sabotaging Your Fitness Program






Have you tried numerous body transformation programs only to continually fall short of reaching your goal? Do you feel that nothing works for you? If so, you may need to change your habits instead of your fitness program to lose fat fast and finally attain the body of your dreams. Your daily habits are just as important as what you eat and what you do in the gym. Read on to discover the top 3 bad habits that are sabotaging your body transformation efforts. Break these habits to attain a lean, fit body more quickly than you imagined!

BAD HABIT #1: Doing things when they need to be done instead of BEFORE they need to be done.
Have you ever neglected to bring a healthy lunch to work because you discovered you didn’t have the ingredients you needed that morning? Have you had to cancel an appointment with your workout partner because you discovered your workout clothes were dirty only minutes before getting dressed? If you answered yes, a little preparation in advance can help! There is a saying that I learned during my college years that applies to every aspect of life- including fitness and body transformation. Take this saying to heart and be amazed by how much more of what you intend to do actually gets accomplished. “To be early is to be on time. To be on time is to be late. To be late is to be out of luck.” Don’t wait until the last possible second to do things with hopes that everything will go smoothly. Instead prepare in advance so that little surprises don’t derail your plans. Try the following little adjustments for more fitness consistency and success. Prepare your lunch, gym bag and work bag at night. Leave your bags in the car before bed so that you have less chance of forgetting something on your way out of the door.

BAD HABIT #2: Over-committing or scheduling yourself too tightly.
Do you skip meals because you “don’t have time” to eat during the day. Do you skimp on your water intake to avoid needing bathroom breaks? If you answered yes, you are scheduled too tightly. Allow 5-15 minutes between appointments or commitments. Schedule your breaks on your calendar so that you will be less tempted to schedule yourself for hours without breaks. If you don’t have enough time in your day to allow these small breaks, consider eliminating some of your commitments. Succeeding at fat loss to become fit, healthy, and lean requires being calm and aware. It’s almost impossible to be calm and aware if you don’t even have the time for a bathroom break. If you want a better body or better health, you must cut back on the stress and anxiety that unreasonably tight schedules create.

BAD HABIT #3: Putting important tasks on the “to do” list instead of on the calendar. Have you ever gotten to the end of a very busy day only to discover that many of the most important tasks didn’t get done? Well you have just discovered the draw back of the to-do list. Instead of blindly plowing through tasks, prioritize. Place important tasks (including your workouts, food preparation, and maybe even meals and snacks) on your calendar. Leave the to-do list for less important tasks that are not time sensitive. On days when your appointments run long or something unexpected happens, you will be more likely to have done all of the important things (including your workouts) at the end of your day leaving you feeling more satisfied and fulfilled even when everything that could go wrong does.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Highland Village AM Boot Camper of the Day

Thursday, May 5th
 
Congrats Sheryl Dosery!  Sheryl did an amazing job on a surprise wild card workout today.  Not only did she hang in there and give this workout her best effort the entire time, she even completed the finisher - 50 burpees and windshield wipers for time.  Way to go!
 

Coppell Boot Camper of the Day

Wednesday, May 4th
 
Congrats to Angie Harrington!  Angie, you ROCKED the alligator crawls and really worked on bumping up your levels!
 
Keep it up!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Highland Village AM Boot Camper of the Day

Tuesday, May 3rd

Give it up to Sheryl Dorsey!! After giving it her all in the strength portion of our workout, she worked the burpees in all 12 rounds even getting her arms up with the jump. Great job to our four die hards this morning.

Highland Village PM Boot Camper of the Day

Monday, May 2nd

Congrats Jennifer Camacho! Jenn is growing with each workout. As our newest member of the Highland Village PM class, she is fitting right in with the hard working ladies and gave last night's workout a great effort. Congrats on the progress Jenn- it will only get better from here!

Boot Camp Grandma in Low Rise Jeans With Bling

Janis Townsend
Boot Camp Member Spotlight







If you think of rocking chairs and baggy clothes when you think of a grandmother, think again. Today's grandma is cool, fit, and she wears low rise jeans with rips and bling. Congratulations to new grandmother and Boot Camp Superstar, Janis Townsend, on her many accomplishments! In the picture above, she is showing her joy about fitting into a cool pair of low rise jeans with bling on the back after completing her first round of our boot camp Jean Drop Challenge. The best part is... she is still going!




Watch her interview here and learn how she threw out the "mental trash" that held her back in the past and about her cool experience leading fitness class for a group of teenagers in Peru. Super inspiring story!






Monday, May 2, 2011

Coppell Boot Campers of the Day

Monday, May 2nd

Congrats Angie Harrington, Nichole Bentley & Michelle Traw! Angie rocked her burpees, Nichole had great form, and Michelle brought her big girl weights!