It's the Truth

You are wonderfully and fearfully made.  Choose today to believe it.  It is the TRUTH about YOU.  Can't change facts, so change your mind.  Choose to be good to that wonderful, perfect, awesome body of yours.

YOUR HEART WILL KNOW IT WHEN YOUR BELIEF ABOUT YOU 

AGREES WITH THE TRUTH!

The Snack Gets a Face Lift

This month in REAL SIMPLE magazine (next to the Holy Bible, this is a bedside treasure trove) was a 3 page snack spread that won me over to the other side.  I love that you can eat real food and still be healthy!  And I LOVE FOOD!  So if you are a foodie and want to stock your cabinets come contest time (or any time), here is the list of tasty's:

The Profile:
200 Calories or less
At least 3 grams of fiber
At least 5 grams of protein
No more than 12 grams of fat

Grab and Go:
1 Kind Peanut Butter and Strawberry (I could not fine this flavor so I chose the Almond Cashew)
1 Luna Chocolate Dipped Coconut Bar (also could not find this flavor so chose S'mores)
1/2 C Annie's Homegrown Organic Cheddar Snack Mix
1 Kashi TLC Happy Trail Mix Soft Baked Cookie
Vitalicious VitaTops Deep Chocolate Muffin Top
1 bag Figamajigs Original Bites (fig pcs. coated with dark chocolate)
1/2 C Yogi Granola Crisps Mountain Blueberry Flax
1/4 C Bear Naked Peak Energy Cranberry Almond Trail Mix
7 Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters
Starbucks Grande Nonfat Caffe Latte (Keep Stevia in your purse if you sweeten)
1 Skinny Cow White Mint Truffle bar

Prep and Jet:
2 Clementines and 7 walnut halves
1/4 C soy nuts +  T chocolate chips (try dark chocolate too)
3C popped popcorn + 2T frated parmesan cheese + a pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 C grapes 1 stick light mozzarella string cheese
1/4 C pineapple juice + 1/4 C plain low-fat yogurt + 1/4 C strawberries + 1/2 frozen banana + blend together

Spoon may be required:
2 carrots cut into sticks + 1T natural peanut butter 
1/2 sliced cucumber + 3T hummus
1.25 oz. Beanitos Black Bean Chips plus 3.5 oz. salsa
1C low fat Kefir + 1 peach sliced
14 Wheat Thins Cinnamon Kick Crunch Stix + one 3.5 oz. C Mott's Healthy Harvest Granny Smith Apple Sauce
1/2 C low-fat vanilla yogurt + 2T canned pumkin + a pinch of apple pie spice
1 banana + 2 tsp. almond butter + 1T toasted shredded coconut (I would add to try and use unsweetened coconut)
2 fresh figs (Costco or Whole Food markets) + 2 slices prosciutto (cut in half), wrap the figs in the meat - think "sweet and salty", this is served more commonly with cantaloupe (1C = same calories)
1C blackberries + 1/4C part-skim ricotta + 1/2 tsp. honey + grated lemon zest

Could almost pass as a meal:
1 packet plain instant oatmeal made with water + 1/2 C blueberries
1/4C Barbara's Puffins Peanut Butter and Chocolate (cereal) + 1/2 C nonfat milk
1 hard cooked egg mashed with 1tsp. light mayo + a pinch of celery salt + 1 slice of whole grain bread
2 sliced tomatoes + 1 oa. fresh mozzarella + 5 fresh basil leaved (or sprinkle dried if more available) + 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 slice pumpernickel toast + 1T low-fat cream cheese + 1 sliced radish
1 Amy's Tofu Scramble in a pocket Sandwich
1/2 package Annie Chun's Sprouted Brown Rice Sushi wraps + 1/4 C slivered vegetables  (these are sold at Wegman's if you are in that part of the country, try your local whole foods market but otherwise Amazon carries the wraps - helps to know what you are looking for! Walmart may even have them, you never know!)

Start with whatcha know, then take a risk, you may find a new favorite!

Start Making A Plan

Let's get this party started!  Weigh ins are almost done for the 6 Week Challenge and BCA101 hopes you are getting excited!

A word about food.  Well, probably more than a word as time goes on!   I have a food plan, if a guideline is needed. Remember, the calories are in the 1200 range.   If you are someone who can be disciplined and like to choose your own food, here are a couple of resources.  Keep your snacks simple and in the 100-200 calorie range.  Start planning on what they will be so you are not tempted to cheat on Doritos!

Hungry Girl is a fun site and if I am not mistaken they have started carrying some of her "brand" in the bread section of Walmart.

This is a good site for calorie count in your foods

A good book to have on hand is Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Cookbook.  It's always a good idea to see how different ingredients in a recipe for great flavor with low calories.

A few snack ideas are a T of natural peanut butter with carrots, apples or celery, 1/2 C low fat cottage cheese with 1C berries, hummus and whole wheat pita, low fat cheese and apple, fruit in general, handful of almonds,  part skim mozzarella cheese sticks or fat free (no sugar) yogurt with fruit and a squirt of liquid Stevia (or sprinkle a packet).  Try to stay away from startchy snacks, they tend to trigger "binge".

Start to stock your shelves NOW!!

These are just a few tips for getting started.  If you have a tried and true tip of your own, please share!!

Cleanse Factor

Are you feeling sluggish and bloated?  Do you have constant craving?  Perhaps a cleanse might be a good place to start to get your body back in compliance.  Cleansing is a very natural way of giving your body a rest so your organs a rest and release toxins that build up from fried, high fat and processed foods that invariable get into our diets.  Our bodies do not recognize these foods and they are very hard to digest, causing an overload in our system and a build up of toxins.

There are many ways to approach a cleanse:

1. For the hard core, you can fast.  Fasting once a week is a good practice and it's FREE!
2. Fast for 3 days followed by a 7 day cleanse
2. Just begin with purchasing a cleanse through a reputable nutritional source.  Check your local health food store or holistic practitioners (naturopath).  To name a few, Master Cleanse, Colonix and Shaklee's Brand Standard Process (google for distributer).  I also have a cleanse that is available to you if you are interested.

Most cleanses will have a fibrous drink.  Usually the base is psyllium hulls.  Then there may be some supplements and a diet for the duration of the cleanse.

A good supplement to take ongoing is acidophilus.  The best ones are usually in the freezer section of health food stores or need refrigeration after opening.


Health Benefits of Acidophilus

• Acidophilus helps in creating a healthy environment in our gastrointestinal tract
• Acidophilus helps in fighting against various digestive disorders
• Acidophilus helps in lowering the serum cholesterol level.
• Acidophilus helps in the synthesis of various vitamins like vitamin B12 and K and also thiamine and folic acid in our intestine.
• Acidophilus creates an inhospitable environment for various harmful bacteria
• Acidophilus also helps in alleviating the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease.

Cleansing, if gentle, can be done quarterly for optimal benefits.

PROTEIN COMPLETE

Ready to blow the battle horn as the 6 Week Challenge gets ready to begin! Go RED, WHITE and BLUE!  Teams still forming!

While many people may know the "basics" of nutrition, transformation has a few secrets up it's shorts.  Protein, the anvil of all weight loss and muscle gaining regiments.  If you are revving up the program, consider your protein intake.  You want your protein sources to be complete in order to have the essential amino acids your body needs for performance, recovery and stress.  The list of COMPLETE protein sources are:

Chicken
Fish
Turkey Breast
Egg Whites
Lean Red Meat
Non-Fat or Low Fat Dairy

For the Vegetarian combine the following legumes (incomplete protein) with these other incomplete protein sources to make a complete protein:

Combine ONE of the following:
Black Eyes Peas
Chick Peas
Green Peas
Kidney Bean
Lima Bean
White Bean
Lentils
Peanuts

With ONE of the following:
Almonds
Bulger
Couscous
Bread
Rice
Corn
Seseme Seeds
Pasta

Grab a handful of peanuts and almonds, or peanut butter on Soba Noodles for some Thai tasty!

Soy may also be used as a plant protein (recommend 25g or more daily), common sources are:

Miso
Meat Substitutes
Soy Milk
Soy Nuts
Soy Flour
Tempeh
Tofu
Textured Soy Protein

The best time to eat protein is right after a workout and in the evening close to bed, as we lose protein during sleep.  Get 3-4 servings a day several hours apart.

TRANSFORMATION

Today is your lucky day!  We are holding a 6 WEEK TRANSFORMATION CONTEST! So much of the blogs will be focused on motivation for short term goal setting for this and if you read from across the country, challenge yourself with us!  This is a local challenge, so it requires your body being here to actually sign-up, but you will be challenged here as well!

For anyone wanting to participate locally, ask to be invited to the Facebook page 6 WEEK TRANSFORMATION CONTEST on either the Boot Camp Academy 101 page or my Debbie Johnson Crall page.

The cost is $120 for 6 weeks of unlimited camps. CURRENT CAMPERS ARE FREE! There will be 1 female and 1 male winner who will win an IPAD2!! The contest will start 10/3/11 and go to 11/14/11! Weigh ins and body fat will be done the week of 9/26/11. You must live in Wise County OR be willing to commute in for the workouts. Mon-Thur 5:30am, 7am & 8:30am. Each person will be assigned a team captain. We have the Red Team, White Team and Blue Team.  If you are not a current camper you'll need to register and you can do that at your first camp! just show up at Renshaw Park at 5:30am 7am or 8:30am and be ready to workout!

On the Horizon

Lovin' this cool weather!  Definitely makes a jog more likely!  We've got lots of incentives in the works at BCA101 so everyone stays tuned for updates on Facebook on the Bootcamp Academy 101 page, Body Sculpting and Weight Training page and personal page.  So much is changing to bring more BCA 101 to your fitness journey!

The new studio is the latest blessing and we are so excited to be hanging out a sign locally in Decatur!  Be looking for new classes this Fall and Winter.

The weekend is here, don't forget to check active.com for your local 5K's, it's definitely the season to start training.  Hope to see you on the trails!!

Just a little bit longer

If you are just getting started, be encouraged.  We all started somewhere, and everyone is on the road, going somewhere.  Don't let yourself compare.  When you come to the place where it no longer feels motivating or fun, know that it is part of the training.  If is was easy, everyone would be doing it.  When it gets hard, that is when you press in, cry out, beat your fists on the table and say "I WILL persevere, and am not the sum of this body of death and I WILL embrace this difficulty as part of my training!"

All of life has it's areas of discipline.  There is an order.  We can not trick chocolate into being chicken and our bodies do not miraculously forget calories at the end of the day.  Dig deep, who do you REALLY want to be.  Not just in the weight room, but in the circle of life.  Embrace this journey, be well and teach others.  Be well....and teach others.  And you thought you were just trying to lose a few pounds :)

Factoid

It takes twice as long to lose new muscle if you stop working out than it did to gain it. It’s relatively easy to build new muscle tissue and get your muscles in shape. This fact should be motivation to get off the couch and get moving!

Sugar, more on that, yeah

I stumbled upon this little visual aide and though it was worth a pass along since we are on the topic of sugar!  You can click on the different food groups and it gives you a visual of how much sugar is in them by using sugar cubes. While not all sugar is equal in the way it is metabolized, and fruit sugar is definitely more healthy that white sugar, it gives you an idea of the glycemic index and maybe some better choices in the different categories.

The weekend is here, and that seems to be a hot spot for "abandon thyself".  Remember, choices.  It's all about choices.  Give bad foods (and you know who you are) a "time out".  Healthy can also be yummy!!  But if it's too yummy, better spit it out...just sayin'.   That reminds me of those smoothie recipes I posted, anyone try one of those?  Let's get out the blender!  Have a great weekend y'all!!

“Just a teaspoon of sugar makes the medicine go down!”

We could take heed to this little ditty, especially when it comes to diet.  But take heart, it isn’t ALL bad, and there actually IS a science to our bodies and sugar does play a role.  Just not in the form of a donut hole!

After a workout your muscles are tired and depleted of their energy stores. At this stage, your body is in a catabolic or breaking down state of both muscle and fat.  Your body is breaking down muscles and fat for energy, because you've used up all your energy during your workout.

We know that sugar causes fat storage fast because it is a simple carbohydrate which digests very quickly. Excess sugar in the bloodstream is unhealthy so the body immediately stores it as fat. But after a workout, this rush can be a benefit.  Sugar causes increased blood sugar levels. Increasing your blood sugar levels will pump the excess sugar into your muscles, and since your muscles need all the sugar they can get, there will be no excess sugar to store as fat! It would actually be beneficial to cause an insulin spike post workout to pump your muscles full of the energy and nutrients which you've depleted during your workout.

How should this be done?  Consuming a mixture of high glycemic index sugar as well as protein causes a much greater insulin spike than ingesting sugar alone. And protein is vital yo post workout too.  I am not talking about a bar of chocolate.  Eating a couple of bananas or adding honey to your post workout shake will do your body good.

Another time when an insulin spike is beneficial to a bodybuilder is immediately after waking up. Your body has been without food for 8 hours while you were asleep, and - unless you had a good protein filled meal before sleep - has been burning muscle.  This would be a great time get an insulin spike to pump energy into your muscles and revive your system, because the body is in a similar state to the one it was in post workout.  Again, ingesting lost of protein, some sugar, and some slow digesting carbohydrates would be great in the morning.   Just a slight increase in insulin would be effective in the morning. This is because, although your body has bee fasting for 8 hours, it wasn't exercising or using muscle, so it needs significantly less energy.

The key to sugar is to use it at specific times in moderation. These times are post workout or in the morning.

BIG LOSER BOOT CAMP FORMING!

If not now, when?  Weight loss stats:

Weight loss may improve survival in those who have an obesity-related disease, especially type 2 diabetes.

A modest weight loss of 4.4 lb to 9.7 lb resulted in a significant lowering of blood pressure.

People with asthma who lost an average of 31.3 lb over 1 year showed improved lung function and overall health, and with weight loss, the number of severe asthma episodes (exacerbations) and oral corticosteroid courses were reduced.

People with type 2 diabetes who lost weight had lower blood sugar levels and were able to use less medicine to lower their blood sugar levels.

Sustained weight loss prevented new cases of type 2 diabetes in people who were obese.

People with obstructive sleep apnea who lost as little as 10% of their weight improved their sleep patterns and had less daytime sleepiness.

Starting October 3
BIG LOSER BOOT CAMP
LIMITED ENROLLMENT
Consultation
M  -  T  - TH
10am


If you are trying to lose a significant amount of weight call for a FREE CONSULTATION.  Enrollment for these classes are limited, so don’t “weight”!!