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Newsletters>
5 Beach Body Myths (and 3 Steps to Look Amazing)
July 1, 2009
Girl Fight Club!
Everybody knows a short-term goal absolutely ramps up the intensity of your workouts. This happens because there is something important at stake; your reputation, your “cool points” your health, your life. That’s why boxers are in such great shape. Boxers put all of the above at stake, fighting to save face in every sense of the word. When I was a fighter in college, my coach would say, “you’re fighting in two weeks at this weight. Make weight.” Of course, the unspoken follow-on to that statement was …or you’ll hafta fight me instead.” My coach had a mean left hook and an even nastier disposition in the ring so needless to say not making weight was not an option. So, I would work out and weigh, and workout and weigh, and run some more and weigh, and eat less, then weigh again, and eventually after pulling out all the stops, I would make weight and fight. Nothing fancy just eating less and working out more. I think somehow having unwavering do-or-die laser mental focus on a weight goal helped me become what I need to be physically. Really? How else could I take this crash axe approach to training and diet and end up exactly ½ pound under weight at the moment of truth? Boxers send the body one command accompanied by no other options. The goal is publicly set and there is no lack of clarity. There is an absolute drop dead date. The mind simply cannot send mixed signals to the body. Nor can the food. And the exercise intensity has to be completely consistent with the mental and physiological signals the body is getting. What a great challenge. Not everyone gets the opportunity to experience the level of commitment, excitement, and drive required in preparation for a fight.
But now, you do. At least you ladies do.
The Championship Challenges are designed to allow you the once-in-a-lifetime experience of preparing for a boxing match. You’ll be matched up with a challenger by size, experience, and skill level. On the appointed date you both will make the designated weight. In addition you will be scored on body fat, pushups, sit ups and bench jumps. Once that’s completed you’ll get to strap on the gloves and box three one minute rounds (in full-cage head and body gear of course). Judges will score the bout and the winner gets a donation to charity in her honor. In addition, both fighters will get a matchless experience and fitness level in the process.
The first match will be set for labor day weekend. Between now and then Soul Personal Training will conduct a free interactive boxing seminar for ladies who might want to fight for a cause for real, and get in real good shape while doing it. Intrigued? Contact us or visit our website for details.
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5 Beach Body Myths (and 3 Steps to Look Amazing)
There's a good chance that you'll find yourself in a bathing suit sometime this month.
If you are like most people then that realization will 1) bring a grimace to your face and 2) will motivate you to lose some weight.
While I commend your desire to slim down before baring it all, I'm here to warn you of the 5 myths that most people fall for. Don't waste your time on these:
Myth #1: Starve the pounds away.
Attempting to lose weight by starving yourself is not only ineffective, it's also dangerous. It may seem that severe calorie restriction would deliver the quickest weight loss, but your body is complex and by doing so you'll disrupt your metabolism and slow your results.
Tip: Don't starve yourself - instead eat healthy small meals throughout the day.
Myth #2: Take diet pills to boost your effort.
It's so tempting! The commercials make compelling claims about the power of diet pills, but don't fall for it. The 'magic pill' has yet to be discovered (it has been discovered - exercise. It's just not in pill form…). Diet pills are more likely to damage your health and burn your pocketbook than to slim you down.
Tip: Don't pop a pill - instead burn calories with exercise.
Myth #3: Do extra crunches to flatten your abs.
We all want our midsection to look toned as we stroll down the beach, but excessive crunches aren't the answer for tight abs. In order to achieve a lean look you'll have to focus on burning off the layer of fat that is covering up your abs.
Tip: Don't obsess about crunches - instead focus on fat burning.
Myth #4: Eat packaged diet foods for speedy results.
It is amazing to see the kinds of foods that are packaged as 'diet' or 'weight loss' aids. More often than not these products are packed with refined sugar and other artificial ingredients that your body doesn't need.
Tip: Don't eat packaged diet foods - instead stick with nutritious whole foods.
Myth #5: Avoid all carbohydrates in order to slim down.
Carbohydrates have been given a bad rap, which is unfortunate because you can (and should) eat carbs while losing weight. The key is to stick with whole grains, oatmeal and brown rice while avoiding processed and refined flours and sugars.
Tip: Don't swear off all carbohydrates - instead stick with wholesome carbs.
Now that you know what not to do in order to look great this summer, it's time to go over your beach ready game plan. Here's what you need to know in 3 simple steps:
Step One: Cut out the junk.
The best way to do this is to start by purging your kitchen. Get rid of sugary, processed and fat-filled foods. Once the junk has been cleared out don't buy any more of it. Remember that your beach ready abs depend on what you eat - don't eat junk!
Step Two: Focus on whole foods.
Replace the junk food in your life with plenty of the following: cooked and raw vegetables, fresh fruits, whole grains, moderate amounts of seeds and nuts, lean meats and low fat dairy. Clean eating really is that simple.
Step Three: Come train with me.
This is the most obvious step. You're ready to get into great shape and I'm in a unique position to make that happen for you. Call or reply to this email to get started on an exercise plan that will make you look great on the beach, and all year round.
It's Grill Time
Looking for something delicous to grill that won't derail your weight loss goals? Look no further than the produce section. Onions, bell peppers, eggplant, carrots, asparagas and zuccini are all great options to throw on the grill – and they can all be eaten guilt free.
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Mediterranean Lettuce Wrap
This wrap is savory and refreshing, and is the perfect meal to get you beach ready. I recommend roasting your own bell pepper, since most store bought roasted bell peppers are packaged in oil. To do so simply throw it on the grill until soft and then peel the skin after it cools.
Servings: 1
Here's what you need...
1 large leaf of lettuce
2 slices lean turkey
1 roasted red bell pepper, cut into 4 segments
2 tablespoons garlic hummus
1 tablespoon olive tapenade
Lay the lettuce leaf flat and spread with 1 tablespoon of hummus. Place the turkey slices on the lettuce and spread with remaining hummus. Sprinkle the olive tapenade over the turkey and top with the roasted bell pepper.
Wrap the lettuce, use a tooth pick to hold it together.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 170 calories, 6g fat, 15g carbohydrate, 5g fiber, and 15g protein.
Motivate your friends, family and co-workers! ____________________________________________
Everhart and Soul
"Be a trustee. Everything comes to us in trust, for us to use and then to set it free. The consciousness of trustee sets us free of the tension of grasping and guarding. To see ourselves as trustees of everything that we receive, including our bodies, encourages our innate capacity to 'care for with dignity'. It is a much more relaxing way of relating to the things which we are privileged to receive in life." – Unknown
For More Soul Inspiration from Carl visit Everhart and Soul at www.soulpersonaltraining.com
Forward This Newsletter ______________________________________________
Rob and Sandy
Soul Personal Training
21962 E. Briarwood Dr.
303-669-3748
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Quotes, Quips, and Testimonials
My skills have improved on the soccer field because of the True American Boot Camps. Thanks for helping me on and off the soccer fields.
Lisa
Bootcamp is worth getting up for at 5:30 am. It fun, exciting, exhausting and the best workout to start my day off right. I've met so many great people and keeps me honest by answering to a team.. I'm really enjoying it.. Thanks Soul Personal Training.
Sandy
You are the sculptor, I'm the clay. Thanks SPT for building me up in so many ways.
Jerry
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NEW Evening classes starting June 30th @ 6:30pm Tuesday/Thursdays
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Jill Parker's Soul of Running
A different kind of love
It was a cruddy day to run 4200’ up Mt. Evans last weekend; the beast was totally socked in a cloud and it was cold. And windy.
My alarm went off at 4:30 on Saturday morning. I wondered what compelled me to wake up in the dark on a cozy Saturday morning when my kids were sleeping peacefully. I threw the covers back and went to make some tea and oatmeal. As the caffeine of the tea de-fogged my brain, I remembered what was compelling me...my sense of adventure. I am attracted and repelled by my comfort zones, often in equal measure. Today was a day to step outside and find my sense of adventure.
The whole mountain was in a cloud. Some guy announced at the start that they would determine by mile 6 if the summit was safe enough to get to and if not, the race would end at mile 9. I looked at the two guys in our running group whom were first-timers and felt bad for them that I was wishing for the mile 9-closure. I wanted them to make the summit, but I wasn’t feeling well and I suddenly, the summit wasn’t appealing.
I was off from the start and I knew it. Within the first few steps, my head was spinning and my ear was ringing. My iPod copped an attitude and I had to turn it off and listen to my own wheeze (annoying beyond belief. I have trouble running anything over 2 minutes without my iPod because I can’t stand to listen to my own rasping breath; just ask my running friends who never engage me in conversation when we run together because I can’t hear them; they always tell me I’m being rude and ignoring them. Hey, this little running thing is an all-for-one-and-one-for-all. Besides, I don’t run and speak well). A women we met on the first Mt. Evans training run and whom met us for training run #2 (and whom I easily finished well head of – each time, ahem), Diann, came up aside me at mile 2 and said we should run together. I encouraged her to go on, all wheezing and dramatic and pathetic. "It's. Okay. Go. Ahead. And. Leave. Me...." I had Old Yeller visions of myself, wanting my benevolent owner to take pity on me and shoot me, put me out of my misery. Ahead of me she went (never to be seen until the end, where she finished 2 minutes ahead of me). I started praying like mad for the mile-9 closure.
Back up to slightly less than 2 days earlier: I went to the doctor with killer sinus issues (beyond normal sinus issues; a whole story in itself, which I could find many running related stories to share) and an ear that was so clogged, I couldn’t hear out of it (I had my kids stand at various distances saying things to me with an earplug in my good ear. It was a lot of fun -- I’m certain they were calling me inappropriate names since I couldn’t hear them. Brats!!). Diagnosis: I had a sinus and ear infection. I’m not sure if it was the power of suggestion entering my head since the doctor told me I could have some pretty severe equilibrium problems running 4200’ up in less than 48 hours, but I was having some pretty severe equilibrium problems -- staying upright was a challenge itself, forget the fact I was consistently climbing 350’ every mile. I decided that I'd just run/walk to mile 9 and I'd quit, regardless whether it was closed or not; that was feat enough. But I got to mile 9 and stood around for about 4 minutes thinking how insane this course wasn’t closed; the cloud cover was limiting visibility to about 15’ I thought it was unsafe. I said a few expletives and decided I'd never forgive myself if I quit. I've never DNF and I knew I could walk the rest of this beast and still make the cut off and that was better than not finishing. I didn't want to go but onward I went. My hands were freezing and my head was pounding and I was scared every time a car came by and I had to move off to the side that I was going to lose my balance and fall off the entire mountain because I was having some major vertigo problems
I discovered something somewhere along this 5.5 mile stretch to the top: gratitude is more potent than ibuprofen. And something else entered my mind as I grunted through the final miles to finish a solid 30 minutes slower than last year, something between gratitude and epiphany on the realization scale. I realized that I am out here, pursuing something that does not come naturally or easily to me. Never in my life did I ever push hard after something that did not rank high on the list of things that come easily to me (o.k., the marathon ranks up there). I have always aspired to/excelled at things that I was already good at. This probably stems from fear, pride or some perfection compulsion; who knows for sure. But running uphill to the top of a 14er isn’t like that for me. It's hard for me. I struggle. I suffer. I get discouraged. I get mad. And when I chase after my zippy mountain goat friends, it's not because I suck, it's because they don't. Running up these formidable beasts for some of them is a God-given talent. It isn't one of mine, and that is okay with me (or will be as soon as this epiphany sinks in), because I love it anyway...I just love it differently than those that can run this monster of a mountain without stopping and enjoy it does. I love it the way you love a rivalrous sibling, deep tissue massage, giving birth, or a big fight with someone you love. It doesn't always feel good in the moment, but ultimately you feel great for doing it and you are a better person for it.
Every time I run, I learn something new. I know more at the top of a hill than I did at the bottom. I know more at every marathon finish than I did at the start. I know more at mile 5 than at mile 1 and more at mile 20 than at 15. Running teaches you something every time you run. When you return to the house after a run, you know more about yourself than when you left. You’re a different person in some way. The changes may not be dramatic or even noticeable by you, but they’re there. Just because you aren’t immediately aware of them doesn’t mean they don’t exist….but they are there and I’m all over learning new things about myself!!
So I didn’t get to the top of Mt. Evans the way I want to but running it taught me what an honor it was to be there. There is an endorphin rush reserved for those of us who have the courage to get to start line of something as intimidating as Mt. Evans – and with an inner-ear imbalance problem to boot. I finished it and I loved it ….even if it was a different kind of love.
There is a unique beauty to pursuing the glow that resides just beyond our reach. I hope you can find your glow.
Jill
Email: robstraining@gmail.com
Phone: 303-669-3748
Web: www.soulpersonaltraining.com
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