October Results Revealed Tomorrow!

Can you believe October boot camp is over already?  Tomorrow’s the day – we’ll know the results of all your hard work.  We know you all didn’t just do this for fun (although it can be fun too!), we all want to see improvements and we know the Max Body Boot Camp program delivers.

Did you meet your goals for the month? 

Decrease your run time?

Increase push-ups or sit-ups? 

Able to take the stairs without huffing and puffing? 

Clothes fitting better?

Have more energy?

Improvements come in many forms, so post a comment and let us know yours!

Boot campers! We wanted to thank all of you for your input today. We’re really trying to create the best fitness program around so if there is you think the group might benefit from please shoot us an email at mark@hbpersonaltrainer.com

Are You Ready For The Holidays?

Halloween is the beginning of the holiday season for a lot of people.  It either starts with a big party full of food and alcohol, or with your kids bringing home bags full of candy.  And for many the party continues through New Year’s Eve – or the Super Bowl!

Halloween doesn’t have to be the beginning of the end of your healthy living.  You don’t have to avoid candy, food and alcohol on Halloween and the rest of the season.  Just make good choices.

But how do you make good choices when the bad ones are so much more fun?  We are hoping this will help, or at least put into perspective exactly what you are eating when it comes to the candy. 

Check out this Eat This, Not That: Halloween Edition from abcnews.com.

Potato Chips vs. Marshmallow Peeps…one serving of potato chips has 17 grams of carbohydrates where as three of the peeps have 28 grams of carbs.

French Fries vs. Chocolate Bars…A mall order of French fries has 230 calories and 13 grams of fat.  Three Hershey’s fun-sized chocolate bars (the small ones)have the same amount of calories and fat as the French fries.

Doughnuts vs. Candy Corn… 22 pieces of Brach’s candy corn has more sugar then a Krispy Kreme caramel kreme crunch doughnut.

Sugar vs. Sugar Free…5 pieces of the sugar-free Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups have less calories, but more saturated fat then the regular cups.

Fat vs. Fat….a quarter cup of Sun Maid Vanilla Yogurt Raisins has more fat and calories than two strips of Oscar Mayer bacon.

Think you’ve got it under control?  Try out this Trick vs. Treat Candy Quiz to see how much you know about the candy that will be around your house or office this weekend!

Now that you have done the quiz, are you looking for Halloween alternatives?  Try low-fat chocolate milk, a 100-calorie portion control pack, individually packaged pretzels, or check out this article for homemade treats.

A Food Good for the Skin and Soul

You may have already heard about the myriad benefits of edamame (or green soybeans, as they’re also known), but there is one more you may want to know about. Listen up, ladies!

Researchers in Korea recently discovered a naturally occurring fat in foods like edamame, tuna, and mackerel that can fight wrinkles caused by sun damage and natural aging. This fat stimulates the production of collagen, a protein that keeps skin strong and supple. The solution is not yet available to consumers in topical form, and it’ not clear how much of these foods you would need to eat to fight wrinkles. But in the meantime, why skimp. Fish can protect against heart disease and edamame has a good deal of fiber and vitamin C. Not to mention that it’s a great source of protein.

Boot campers! Be sure to check the labels of those energy drinks and “vitamin waters” you may be drinking to replenish yourself. A lot of them are just full of sugar, not vitamins. Sticking to plain ‘ol water is simply better for you in the long run.

Foods That Are Great For Girls!

This being Breast Cancer Awareness month, we thought focusing on women and breast health would be a great way to end the last week of the month. Below are six foods that have been linked to preventing breast cancer, not to mention they taste good too!

 

Broccoli– This cruciferous vegetable contains isothiocyanates, which have been shown to break down breast cancer cells.

 

Carrots– Low intake of beta-carotene (found in orange fruits and veggies) has been associated with a higher risk of breast cancer. Note: Carrots considered “unfavorable carbs” in the Zone world, but eating them every now and again is okay.

 

Garlic– Garlic’s allyl sulfur compounds can help prevent the development of some breast tumors.

 

Mushrooms– These contain conjugated linoleic acid, which has been shown to slow down the production of estrogen.

 

Red cabbage– Researchers believe the glucosinolates in this vegetable may help inhibit breast cancer.

Wild salmon– Rich in Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, which may fight tumor growth, wild salmon is less likely than farmed salmon is less likely than farmed to contain cancer-causing PCBs.

 

Boot campers! Why not put together a great meal your coach would be proud of! Cook 1 tbsp. of minced garlic in 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat and until translucent. Add half a cup each of broccoli florets, sliced carrots, sliced red cabbage, halved white mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Stir fry until just tender – 10 to 15 minutes. Brush salmon fillet with 1 tbsp of honey mustard, pan sauté for 5 to 10 minutes and serve alongside the veggies.

 

 

 

1 Week To Go and Challenge Results!

 

Congratulations on making it through 3 weeks of boot camp!  We have seen amazing improvements from each of you and we hope you have seen and felt them too!

 It is very important to keep it active through the weekend.  We hope you all made it to the challenge this morning, but if not, remember to get in a homework assignment.  As always, your coach will be checking, so write your homework down in your journal.

The standings for the boot camp challenge are as follows…

 

In 3rd Place PM Boot Camper Mary Kerr!

 

In 2nd Place AM Boot Camper Dianne Richards!

 

and taking 1st Place is AM Boot Camper Amanda Casteen (aka A.C.)!

 

We want to thank everyone who participated and we hope you enjoyed yourselves! Get ready for the next challenge in November! - Max Body Fitness

 

 

The Benefits of Working Out…

We all know the basic reason that people start a diet and exercise program.  The number one reason people change their life style is to lose weight – or nip small gains in the bud.  But there are plenty of other benefits from working out that don’t have anything to do with the numbers on a scale or how your clothes fit. 

Can you name seven other benefits of working out?

1) Exercise improves your mood – Exercise stimulates chemicals in the brain which may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed.
2) Exercise combats chronic diseases – Exercise can help you manage high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
3) Exercise helps you manage your weight – This one is pretty self explanatory…the more calories you burn, the easier it is to manage your weight
4) Exercise strengthens your heart and lungs – Exercise helps your cardiovascular system work more efficiently.
5) Exercise promotes better sleep – A boost in activity can provide a better night sleep….especially if you wake up at 5am!
6) Exercise can put the spark back into your sex life – Exercise improves circulation, which can lead to more satisfying sex!
7) Exercise can be fun – Whether it be rolling around in the park or hiking with your kids, exercise can be a fun group or family activity.

Anyone would agree that all of these are great benefits of working out.  And most of them are pretty easy to believe.  But how does exercising actually make you happier? 

There are two hormones in the body that with exercise affect a person’s mood.  Cortisol is a hormone the body produces when anxious, stressed, angry or afraid.  When working out burns cortisol and in turn our mood increases.  The second hormones are endorphins.  Exercise stimulates the pituitary gland to release endorphins.  These endorphins then attach themselves on receptors that normally send pain-signaling molecules to other parts of the brain.  No wonder everyone at Max Body Fitness is so happy!

Aside from losing weight or going down a size, what other changes have you noticed in yourself since you started working out? 

**THE CHALLENGE IS THIS SUNDAY**

The time has come!  After many months of planning, Sunday brings The first Max Body Boot Camp Challenge, hosted by your coach, Mark Mancilla.

Where: Manning Park
When: 9:00am
Who: All boot campers!

Campers, there’s lots of fun in store from you on Sunday at the Boot Camp Challenge. Expect lots of the good, old-fashioned boot camp exercises you know and love.

Who will be the champion for October?  Come find out for yourself!

Zone Science (Part 2)

This week, we are bringing you little tidbits of recently published research that help to validate the power of the Zone to change health are in America…

Fact No. 2: The more protein you eat, the less heart disease you have. Recent long-term studies from Harvard Medical School indicate that when the ratio of protein-to-carbohydrate reaches the levels recommended for the Zone, there is a 26 percent decrease in heart disease risk. The group that had the lowest incidence of heart disease followed a diet that provided a protein-to-carbohydrate ratio of 0.7, which is squarely within the boundaries of the Zone.

Just to recap, your best protein choices are:

• Skinless chicken
• Turkey
• Fish
• Very lean cuts of meat
• Egg whites
• Tofu
• Soy meat substitutes

What is your go to protein? And why?

Boot campers! Looking for some healthy protein to spice up your meals, try soy meat crumbles. Morningstar makes a tasty brand that you can find in the organic/health section of your grocery store. They go great in eggs (as a sub for sausage), or with veggies at night for dinner.

Today’s photo: Possibly a new boot camp T?

Got a buddy? Bring a buddy!

We know that most of you hear about us through your friends, so now it’s your turn to return the favor!

If some of your friends or coworkers are curious about this crazy boot camp program you are participating in, this is your chance to give them a taste! 

Bring A Friend to Boot Camp Day is next Wednesday, October 29. 

Something to keep in mind: your friend should be able to maintain a constant walk/jog for 5 minutes in order to attend boot camp. 

Please ask your friends to arrive 15 minutes before camp begins to fill out a waiver and meet the instructors.  Have them bring a water bottle or two, and let them know they might get dirty…dress appropriately. 

You may invite as many friends as you like!  Please let us know if there will be more than a couple of your friends attending.  If your friend signs up for BC next month, you are eligible to get $20 off your next boot camp.  If multiple friends sign up, you receive discounts for all of them!

Thanks for bringing your friends – have fun! – Max Body Fitness

The Science of the ZONE…

We try to bring you the most accurate information about nutrition and healthy eating every day, and often we tie in the Zone diet and its philosophy. That’s due, in part, to all of the Boot Camp participants who are “Zoning.” But it’s also because we believe that following the Zone is one of the best ways to fuel your body correctly and prevent disease. So, just to bring it back to the science of the Zone, let’s talk hormones…

The Zone is about hormonal thinking, not caloric thinking, which is why it’s controversial in the first place. Most diets are most concerned calories. Well, here is a Zone science fact that will help you see why hormonal control is important in your dietary concerns.

Fact: The Zone Diet can initiate significant hormonal changes in one meal. This research work was conducted at Harvard Medical School with overweight adolescents. The Zone meal generated a completely different hormonal profile than a standard meal, even though both contained the same number of calories. Furthermore, after eating a Zone meal, the number of calories consumed at the next meal was considerably less, indicating that the Zone provides better hunger control than other diets.

Just one reason why following the Zone is scientifically smart. We’ll give you more each day this week!

Boot campers! Try this quick and easy Zone meal for breakfast one day and tell us what you think: “Fruit Smoothie” – 20 grams protein powder, 1 cup blueberries, 1 cup strawberries, 3 macadamia nuts, 4 ice cubs. Put everything in a blender on high for 1 minute. Add water if the smoothie is too thick.

Do You Multi-Task?

In this day and age, we are all about multi-tasking.  We are always talking on the phone, emailing, and checking the Max Body Blog all at the same time.  And where would most people be if they didn’t have their blackberries or iphones?  You can’t go through a day without seeing someone checking their blackberry while grocery shopping or driving.  So why not multitask to burn more calories while at work too? 

 

 

 

If you are like most people, you sit at a desk all day.  This increases your risk for obesity, back pain, poor posture, and a slew of other problems.  And you may have noticed that after a tough morning at boot camp you get stiff pretty quickly too!

 

 

It doesn’t have to be that way.  You can work some exercise into your schedule to counteract the effects and maybe burn a few more calories at the same time! We should already be stretching throughout the day, but there’s more you can do as well.  Need to talk something over with a colleague?  Take a walk around the block while you do it.  Or just bring in a stability ball to sit on instead of a chair – its great for the abs! 

 

 

There is a new trend going around…but you might have to get your employer to fork over some cash for this one.  Some people are exploring the new world of Treadmill Desks.  Companies are now selling a traditional treadmill with a desk attached for your computer, phone, and anything else you might need.  Walking at a slow pace while working can burn an extra 350 calories per day!

 

 

If a Treadmill desk is not in your budget this year there are many other exercises you can do at work.  Check out this article for some great ideas for exercises you can do right at your desk.  My favorite is “The Magic Carpet Ride”.  What’s yours?!  Any other ideas for exercising at your desk or workplace?