If you are joining us for the first time, a big welcome to you.
Today I've listed a day's worth of Paleo style recipes to get you on the right track. I'll discuss later why I choose the Paleo method, but for now just know that these are great examples of what to eat while you are training with us.
Boot Camp Breakfast (Paleo Style)
Spinach Breakfast Shake
Ingredients:
12 oz. unsweetened full fat coconut or almond milk
1 frozen banana (add terrific sweetness)
1-2 dried dates
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
2 cups raw spinach leaves
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth or desired consistency.
There is a proven formula to fat loss, and I am about to expose it.
And no this isn't going to be a long complex essay on counting calories, measuring foods, buying "x" amount of certain "ground breaking" supplements, or other hyped up stories that are meant to sell you something you don't need.
I've broken down the basics in what I call my "sticky note" method. Meaning that the secrets to fat loss can be contained in three simple steps which can be written on a sticky note.
1. Training- Basically move. Challenge yourself. Push yourself beyond what is comfortable. I could get in to specific programs, routines, etc., but for most...it just comes down to moving.
2. Eating- Choose the best quality vegetables, fruits, lean meats, fish, healthy oils, and nuts and seeds. Eat these, and your weight will improve drastically. Depending on how much fat you need to lose, include a cheat day, or cheat meal.
3. Rest and recovery- Sleep...plain and simple. Get enough sleep. Get off the computer, Facebook, etc., and actually make a commitment to sleep. Use a foam roller and get massages.
In my own case, my daughter began college last week, and my son began seventh grade today.
(My daughter at SDSU)
If you've been putting off training because you were just too busy this summer, then now is the time to restart.
Our next boot camp begins Sept. 12th..
There are two simple options for a month of training.
1. Attend 3 sessions per week for $147
2. Come twice a week for $97
Each class is approximately forty five minutes long.
These prices are the lowest I've offered in two years and I'm not sure how long they will last.
If you start now, you will lock in that rate until at least the end of the year.
If you are serious about losing that nagging fat, then please contact me. I'm ready to help.
Best, Stephen
P.S. If you have already confirmed your spot with me you can disregard this email...even better is to pass it along to a friend or co-worker who might need a little boost to get moving.
Over the next few days I'll be posting what I learned from over 20 workshops, lectures, and workouts that I participated in this weekend at the huge IDEA World Conference here at the LA Convention Center.
One of the most important main areas that I wanted to gain more knowledge was about eating, and most specifically how I can help my clients lose fat through the latest research and findings on diet.
One of the biggest challenges I see for my client-athletes is information overload and frustration when it comes to what to eat for fat loss and better health.
Dr. Kara MohrLet's start with some "Diet Dilemma" tips from Dr. Kara Mohr.
Dr. Mohr spoke about "riding the urge wave". She mentioned that our cravings for things ride up and down like a wave. If we can get past that "peak" of the wave oftentimes the craving will pass. She suggested substituting another activity for eating. Some good ideas are, painting your nails, taking a bubble bath, or taking a walk.
Eventually you can build up your resistance to these cravings. She gave a great example of a crying kid in the grocery store. You've seen this scene of the crying kid throwing a tantrum trying to get his way. As parents we know that giving in to the kid is most often not the best choice. If we do, the kid continues this pattern and uses it over and over to get his way. Dr. Mohr compared this to our cravings for bad foods. The less often we give in to these cravings, the stronger our will becomes.
Another tip is to have a "DEP". A designated eating place. I love this!
Create a table and a space that is special for you. Focus on your present mind while eating. This means shutting off the TV, the computer, putting down the distractions and focus on your meal and your conversation with your loved ones. Imagine how this one tip alone can transform your health!
Men and women think very differently. Unfortunately women "have a lot of stinkin thinkin", and lot's of negative thoughts.
She also suggests the "90/10 Rule". Meaning 90% of the time you'll want to eat clean, and 10% of the time you can splurge a little. For some clients she suggests this is a simple way to grade yourself on your eating habits.
The 10 dimes tip. For this tip she has clients start out with 10 dimes in their right pocket. For each negative thought the client has to transfer 1 dime to the left pocket. Think a positive thought, and transfer a dime to the left pocket. Then ask yourself "what time did you go bankrupt?"
So there you are...some great tips from Dr. Mohr to help you on your path.
Would you like to receive email tips like the one above? Join here.
9. Show up at least 10 minutes before your session begins.
10. Go at your own pace. Try not to compare yourself to the other boot campers. Many clients have been training with us for over 2 years. "Compete" with yourself. Drink water and take breaks as often as you need.
11. Give me your 100% during the session.
12. Have your post workout shake or meal ready to consume within 30 minutes after your workout.
13. Drink plenty of water during the day.
14. Use your foam roller and/or plan on getting a massage to help sore muscles.
15. Eat 3 - 5 meals today. Each meal should be composed of protein, vegetables, healthy fat, and maybe a piece of fruit (depending on how much weight you need to lose.)
16. Email me exactly what you ate and drank today. (You'll be doing this for the first 3 days of boot camp.)
4. Know the location of our boot camp. Map it if necessary and plan your driving time accordingly.
5. Set out your workout clothes, shoes, water bottle, mat and beach towel.
6. Get enough sleep. You'll need anywhere from 7 to 9 hours. Don't skip this step as it will only hurt you with your chances of losing fat.
7. Plan you post workout shake or food. Don't let the next morning come and you have no clue what you are going to eat. You need to prepare to fuel your body properly.
8. Take your before pictures, front and side. Before weight, and before measurements. (You can keep these to yourself, but do it.)
I will be attending a 3 day fitness conference here in LA so I will miss both sessions on Friday.
As you know most often Marie covers for me but on this occasion her employer would not let her off.
Francesca will be teaching both classes. Some of you may remember Francesca as she attended quite a few sessions in the beginning of the year. She is a well experienced trainer and has the same certification that Marie and I have.
I have gone over the program, and you are in good hands.
I'll see you back on Monday with many new ideas and the best of what I learn over the weekend.
The week before your new boot camp begins, you'll want to set yourself up for success.
Think of these things as a check list to complete. Do not skip these steps.
1. Put You in your schedule. This means do what ever it takes to book your exercise time with us. Decide who will watch your kids, and any other adjustments you'll need to make in your life. Don't fool yourself and think that exercise just happens. You have to commit, and keep your promises to yourself and to me. Do not miss any classes.
2. Clear out any junk food in your home, and in it's place shop for lean meats, fish, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and healthy oils. Stick to this list and the results will follow. Don't stick to this list and you will remain frustrated and wondering why you aren't seeing results. (Once again take this seriously.)
3. Buy an exercise mat, water bottle, and large beach towel. This is all you need to bring to boot camp. We provide all of the equipment. You'll also want to buy a foam roller, but you will not be brining this to camp...you will use it at home to help with sore muscles.
Question from a client..."What helps keep you motivated to workout besides that its also your business?"
My response...
I believe this has changed over time. When I first began lifting I was about 13 or so. During that time it was a great way to deal with family issues. I could train hard and my mind would become blank. My only focus was on lifting. As I lifted, my body improved and I began to get compliments...this fed my ego and it just felt good. So during this time I would say that it was easy to have the time to train and the pay off was that I got positive feedback.
These days my motivation mostly comes from three areas.
One, it is my job to be fit. I need to set an example for my family and my clients. I have to walk my talk.
Secondly, I want my body to be in top shape so that when I ask it to do something like run up a couple of flights of stairs, my body responds and it happens.
I don't want to be in a situation where I want to have fun and experience life to the fullest, but because I haven't trained sufficiently, I'm not capable.
Lastly, it just makes sense. I want to live a long and healthy life, and all signs point to exercise and smart eating to achieve this.
Another client made a good comparison the other day in boot camp. We may not be motivated to brush our teeth each day, but we want to avoid problems with our teeth and our health, so we brush, floss and go to the dentist regularly. We aren't necessarily motivated to do this, we just do it.
As many of you know me, I keep my words to a minimum and like to keep my life simple.
When I make suggestions to you here or in class, I am passing along things that work in my own life.
I've come across something which I believe will really help with your goals here in boot camp. (For that matter you can use it in the other areas of your life too...any place you want to work on your goals.)
There's a neat little book originally created by Zig Ziglar, but most recently updated and curated by Seth Godin.
Goal Achievement Book by Zig Ziglar and Seth GodinThe thing I like about this book is that it is simple and right to the point.
You'll hone down your top 4 goals for the next 12 weeks.
Once you have those you'll write down the steps you took each day to get closer to your goals.
And at the end of the day you'll check off if you did enough or not. See, simple.
How will this help you with fat loss and your time at boot camp?
To get results here you only need to concentrate on doing a few things.
Eat clean, train, and rest and recover. Imagine writing these in this goal book.
It will be easy for you to keep track of your commitment.
Do it! And best of all let me know how it works for you.
You can get the goal books through Amazon. (No, I don't get paid for recommending these.)
People who attend boot camp do so for many reasons.
Some come for general health reasons, and many come to lose fat and to tone up.
I realize that there are many different levels of commitment too. Some have more time and are more committed than others. No judgement here, it's just that each person goes at his or her own speed.
Each person is on an individual path with specific goals. I focus on these a lot. The times that I am not with you I am working on programs, educating myself, and trying to discover the "missing link" for you to reach your desired goals.
I'm ready to introduce a new level of accountability. (Free to current boot campers.)
This additional benefit is for those who are willing to put in the extra time tracking their workouts, food intake, body measurements, and whatever else I believe will help. In turn, I will be monitoring these and providing you feedback and suggestions.
You'll be able to enter this information via your iPhone (sorry no Andriod app yet), or through your computer.
I will only accept a handful of people who are really serious about this.
If you have the time and the desire to commit to this, please email me, or comment here. I will need to set up your account and password information.
Clients come to me in various states. Some have done a little bit of exercise such as walking, and some haven't done anything for some time.
A new client recently asked me or shared with me her frustrations as she trained along side others in the camp. Her main concern was if she would "catch up" and improve. Here is my response to her...
"You are definitely burning calories. Your body is hard at work, so your muscles are consuming calories...that's a good thing.
Yes you will improve. Many of those who you see in the class have been with me at least one year.
Try not to compare yourself to the others. I know that it's human nature to see what everyone else doing...but focus on yourself. Let's say you can only hold plank for 20 seconds today. Next week it will build to 30, and eventually you will be strong enough to hold for the entire 60 seconds.
Everyone improves. It's a fact. I see it all the time. Show up, eat clean, and get enough sleep and you'll see your body get leaner (losing fat), your endurance will improve, and your body will tone up.
You've only spent 90 minutes training with me. Imagine professional athletes who have trained their whole lives. We see the outcomes of their training but often forget or don't see their tireless hours of committed training.
I'm not saying that you want to become a pro athlete, but their beauty and performance doesn't come without hard work.
Stick to it, and the results will come. I say this because I've had a lot of clients lose 20, 30, and 40 pounds.
P.S. Your's is a pretty common question, so don't feel that you are alone."
This is my response to answer questions from a new boot camper client.
By all means, ask questions. The more questions, the faster you will see progress.
Do we do cardio? The moves that we do are a combination of cardio and strength. Today's workout started with "mobility", then what I call a "dynamic warmup", then some "power and plyometric" moves.
Secret to getting lean- Most often we use big movements/big muscles to burn the most fat. Chest, back, legs (big muscles) arms shoulders (little). We hit the big muscles, core, and the little muscles are involved too.
I encourage you to take a before pic, and your before measurements. (These are for you to keep.) What I see time and again is clients don't do this in the beginning and then they achieve improvements, but they don't have something to compare to...so it seems like they haven't improved that much.
Get that foam roller too.
You may want to set up a time for a massage for tomorrow. If you are sore already, tomorrow could be worse. Just saying :(
The good thing is that Wednesday we will do different exercises and you won't be so sore...promise :)
Proteins Egg whites with 1–2 whole eggs for flavor (or, if organic, 2–5 whole eggs, including yolks)
Chicken breast or thigh Beef (preferably grass-fed) Fish Pork
Legumes (optional, but not Paleo) Lentils (also called “dal” or “daal”) Black beans, Pinto beans, Red beans,
Vegetables Spinach Mixed vegetables (including broccoli, cauliflower, or any other cruciferous vegetables) Sauerkraut Kimchee Asparagus Peas Broccoli Green beans
You'll notice that there isn't any fruit on this list. This is for hard core and faster fat loss. Fruit, even though very healthy can slow your fat loss. We will save fruit for your cheat day.
