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What Doesn’t Kill Us Makes Us Strong!

Ginny Grupp — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:09:45 +0000

I got this letter from one of my Boot Campers and thought I would share. Do you have a “What doesn’t kill us makes us strong!” story? Share below.

Hi Ginny,

How many times have you said, “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger” in our Boot Camp classes? Usually, I grit my teeth and sometimes make a sarcastic comment (either out loud or in my head) as you put us through our paces one more time. Well, today, I finally “got it.” Not only that, I really believe it.

I set out today on a bright, blue-sky, sunny afternoon to hike up the North Face of Alyeska. No big deal. I grabbed a friend and we started our climb. I knew it would be a slow-go, but knew I could do it. And besides, the sun was shining. As we made our way up, the weather clouded over. I thought, “Hmm, this isn’t good.” Then we hit the snow field. That was definitely not good. I don’t like climbing in snow when I’m prepared for it, much less when I’m not.

Within moments, the temperatures dropped and the winds picked up. We were on a steep pitch (40 degrees, I think) I had no traction and my hip, which as you know gives me problems, decided now was a good time to stop working. ”I’m not strong enough,” I thought. ”What the hell was I thinking?” ”I can’t do this.” All of these thoughts and lots of other negativity were in my head.

I sat down and thought now what? We can’t go up…too slippery, hip not letting me walk right, cold, rain coming in. We can’t go down…too slippery and waaaay to scary to try to slide down. I had visions of tumbling right off the mountain in my head (this could kill me, I thought). I was “this close” to calling security and sitting there until someone came to get me.

Two things got me through.

One was Glenda. My Boot Camp buddy who came with me and encouraged me and reminded me that 3 times a week I prove just how strong I can be. She stayed positive and encouraged me…why she didn’t just toss me off the mountain and continue to the top on her own, I have no idea, but I am eternally grateful that she didn’t.

The other thing was really Boot Camp. Boot Camp has made me strong enough physically to get through that kind of situation. Mentally, I heard your voice saying, “What doesn’t kill us makes us strong,” and I thought this stupid mountain is not going to kill me. ”Get your butt out of the snow and get up there,” I said to myself. And to my surprise, I did just that.

Boot Camp has given me strength at 59 that I didn’t have when I was 40. It has given me the confidence to sign up to climb Kiliminjaro in the fall…at 59! Each morning when the alarm goes off and I think, “just 5 more minutes,” I remind myself, “What doesn’t kill us, makes us strong!”

Thanks!
Bev

Not only is Bev on her way to climbing Kiliminjaro in September, she has set another lofty goal for herself. She is raising money for African orphans with AIDS. You can help her reach her $5,000 goal by clicking here or visiting http://www.globalallianceafrica.org/personal/bevpeterson

Our next Boot Camp begins August 3. Visit www.anchoragebootcamps.com to sign up or just find out more.

A Guide To Fueling Your Workout: Part III

Ginny Grupp — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 23:57:06 +0000

Welcome to week 3 of What to Eat to Fuel Your Workout. I am skipping ahead a little this week. I’ve gotten lots of questions about what to eat after a workout, so I’ll jump ahead to the post-workout meal and then wrap it up next week with what to eat in the 1-4 hours before your workout. This is a long one, so sit back, relax and enjoy the read:)

You’ve had a tough workout and you feel drained. What really happens to your body during exercise and what does your body really want to speed recovery, build strength and increase endurance?

What you’ve done: Depleted your glycogen stores. What is glycogen? It’s the energy (sugar) stored in your muscles and liver. Your body uses glycogen to fuel muscle contractions and as a back-up fuel source once you’ve depleted your pre-workout meal. Immediately following exercise, glycogen is depleted. This triggers an enzyme in your body to re-stock your energy stores. This enzyme, called glycogen synthase, is extremely active and ready to create glycogen immediately following exercise. Therefore, the more carbs you include in your post-exercise meal, the more efficient your body will be at converting those carbs into stored energy or glycogen. As time passes after your workout, this enzyme is less active and the body is less efficient at making the conversion to glycogen. Studies recommend consumption of high glycemic-index foods within the first 1-4 hours following competition to take advantage of the body’s ability to completely and quickly replace glycogen immediately following its depletion. Carb intake is important throughout the day as it takes about 20 hours to completely replace glycogen, but is not the only nutrient to focus on each day.

Re-hydration. One of the time-honored, easiest ways to check your hydration level is to weigh yourself both before and after exercise. For each pound lost, you will need to drink 2 cups of fluids to get your hydration level back to where you started. Keep in mind though that if you were not well-hydrated before exercise, the 2 cups per pound will just bring you back to where you started. You may still require more to be fully re-hydrated.

With re-hydration comes electrolyte replacement. If you’ve exercised in particularly hot and humid conditions, or you’re sweating profusely, you’ll want to remember to replace the electrolytes you lose in sweat (sodium, potassium and chloride). If you’re an average sweater, salt can be added to foods (unless they’re pre-packaged and likely already have a high salt content) and additional potassium can bet obtained from fruits and veggies.

Muscle Repair. If you’ve had a weight-training workout, a particularly grueling cardio workout, or just completed Boot Camp, you may have created small tears in your muscles. Your post-workout meal should provide the amino acids your body needs for muscle synthesis and repair. You’ll want some protein in your post-workout meal, but keep in mind that you don’t necessarily want to make this meal protein-heavy or solely protein-based. Adding 8-10 grams of protein1 to your meal should provide your body with enough amino acids to jump-start muscle repair.

What’s On the Menu? In terms of real food, what does the post-workout meal encompass? Immediately after strenuous exercise, the most important things to consume are fluids, electrolytes and carbs, along with a small quantity of protein. An English muffin or small bagel with a schmear of peanut butter or cream cheese, and an electrolyte drink, are great choices. Or try a banana and a high-carb sports drink. Remember you’ll need to ingest a fairly heavy amount of carbs to replace glycogen stores. Muscle repair takes longer, and you can continue to eat protein throughout the day, but your body most efficiently replaces glycogen within the first 1-4 hours following strenuous exercise.

My personal favorite post-workout shake is Physique by Shaklee. It has the exact ratio of carbs to protein that your body needs to start muscle repair and glycogen replacement immediately. It’s super-easy and super-fast to make…just add 8oz. of water. If I’m at home and using the blender, I add 3 ice cubes too, to make a yummy, light & frothy shake. And the best part is that even after my toughest workout, I’m not sore…or at least I am way less sore than I am when I don’t have my shake. Not only that, it makes me feel like a pro athlete because I know the US Ski & Snowboard team used it in the last winter Olympics…did you see how many medals they won? (Want to know more? Click here.)

Many athletes find it difficult to eat and/or drink anything immediately after exercise. This is the time to experiment with high-carb sports drinks and drinks that specialize in electrolyte replacement. It’s also wise to keep meals light and packed with nutrients—this is not the time for fast food. It may fill you up, but it won’t replace any of what you’ve just lost and may delay your recovery because you’re not taking advantage of your body’s enhanced ability to repair itself immediately following exercise. If your body needs carbs to best refuel itself and you give it high quantities of fat, your muscles won’t be as ready as they could be for your next workout.

Keep these guidelines in mind, along with the pre-workout recommendations, and you’llbe well on your way to healthy eating without feeling like you’ve sacrificed anything. Give your body what it needs to best fuel itself before and after your workout. You’ll have more energy, recover more quickly, and you’ll be at your best for your next challenge!

To your health,

Ginny

P.S. Have you heard about Your Best Body Challenge? It begins August 7 and we are giving away over $1,300 in prizes! Visit www.YourBestBodyAlaska.com for more info and to register.

1. Advanced Exercise Nutrition Version 1.1. Dunford, M. Human Kinetics www.HumanKinetics.com

There is NO Pill That Will Cure Obesity!

Ginny Grupp — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 01:01:50 +0000

I am constantly amazed at the speed at which history repeats itself.

Within my lifetime, I have witnessed crazy stock-market highs, always followed by shocking lows. I have seen American-made cars grow to tremendous, gas-guzzling size only to be followed by tremendous spikes in gas prices, followed by period of producing more efficient, smaller cars. What’s the latest repeat performance? Once again, drug companies are creating the next “magic bullet” to combat obesity.

Does no one remember the “Fen-Phen” nightmare? The FDA approved this drug, only to find out that it caused problems with valves in the heart that led to death. And before that, it was “diet pills” in the 1970s (that were really nothing more than amphetamines) which resulted in everything from addiction, to heart failure and stroke.

Apparently, it’s been about 10 years since the last “obesity drug” was put on the market. Clearly, far too long of a drought for the drug companies. And while the optimist in me would like to believe that these companies are just doing their part to help solve a problem for those who suffer, the realist knows this is simply not the case (I get to that towards the end of this article.)

Qnexa, one of 3 drugs currently under review by the FDA, was thankfully denied approval because of “safety concerns,” like increased heart rate (which could lead to long-term heart damage), possible birth defects and psychiatric problems (apparently, an increase in suicidal thoughts and depression, impaired memory and concentration) and acid buildup in bodily fluids that could incrase the risk of kidney stones. You may end up dead, but you’ll be thin. Is this really what people want?

What is even scarier than the fact that this drug has gone through clinical trials on humans, is that the developer, Vivus, is planning to continue to lobby for approval of a drug that may kill you or have detrimental effects on your unborn children.

Popping pills, FDA-approved or not, is not the answer to America’s obesity problem and never will be. The obesity epidemic cannot be treated as one giant problem with one simple answer. Obesity is an individual problem. Whether you have psychological issues around food, have a hormone imbalance or are just plain uneducated about health or unmotivated to take care of yourself, it all comes down to you. Only you can make the changes that you need to to change your life and your health.

There are millions of “solutions” out there. What really works? It’s not a secret, it doesn’t ever change. It has been the same for centuries. It costs nothing and it lasts forever. For every book that has been written about weight loss, they all say the same thing. Everyone has their particular story, but it’s all the same story.

What is it? In one word: Lifestyle.

I can even break it down into 4 simple steps:

1. Eat well (this means more plant-based foods, less of everything else)
2. Exercise daily
3. Drink water
4. Get enough sleep

That’s it! Does it require discipline? Yup. Is it easy? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Will you have to do it for the rest of your life? Yup, but isn’t that a better option than being on a drug that will wreak havoc on your everything else for the rest of your life?

And that’s the key for drug companies. If they get you on an “obesity drug,” you can never go off of it. This is straight from The New York Times, “Dr. Louis J. Aronne, an obesity expert at Weill Cornell Medical College and a consultant to Vivus, told the committee. ‘Weight loss now appears to be like a gift that keeps on giving.’”

The gift that keeps on giving. I am so appalled by that statement that I’ll repeat it, “Weight loss now appears to be like a gift that keeps on giving.” This is why the drug companies are so eager to develop the “obesity pill.”

The only solution that will actually cure obesity, reverse heart disease and prevent cancer is changing our diet and our lifestyle. That’s it. It is the only solution that works, does not have side effects (unless you consider good health, great energy, a positive outlook on life side effects) and will never be pulled off the shelf because it’s deemed unsafe after you’ve been using it for a few years.

Can you get help with your struggle? Of course! And there is nothing wrong with asking for help. Just remember that help does not now and never will come in pill form. Make the decision to take control of your life and your health. It is not the fault of your genes, your mom, your dad or anyone else. Blaming others and making excuses are just wasting energy and time. Make the decision to take responsibility and control of your life right here, right now. Take action towards improving your health.

Does this mean starting today you will never eat something unhealthy again and never miss a workout? Of course not. That’s not realistic. None of us is perfect and no one should ever claim to be. What it means is that I will make today a little bit better than yesterday. Promise yourself to do one thing today that will make you healthier than what you did yesterday.

None of us is born obese. None of us means to be obese and no one plans to be obese. It doesn’t matter. What matters is the action you take today. Right here, right now. You can plan to be healthier. You can make that one change today and another one tomorrow and another one the day after that. Before you know it, it’s 5 years from today and you are healthier. You have changed your lifestyle. And you have never popped a pill.

Tell me what action you’re taking today to make yourself better tomorrow. I love hearing from my readers, so post a comment below. Tell me what action you are taking today!

A Guide to Fueling Your Workout–Part II

Ginny Grupp — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:45:22 +0000

Time to continue with our series on what to eat when to power and recover from your workouts.

Last week, we reviewed what the basic nutrients are. This week, we put all of these nutrients together to create a pre-workout meal. Why do you want to eat before your workout? You eat a pre-workout meal to take in put some gas in your tank. You want to consume adequate calories to fuel you through a workout.

Workouts can be anything from weight training to cardio work or some combination of the two (like Boot Camp). Attempting to work out without eating before hand is like trying to drive your car with no gas in the tank … you can push it, but it doesn’t perform well.

A pre-exercise meal can be consumed anywhere from 1-4 hours before the exercise. That’s a big gap, I know. The question I get most often is, “What can I eat just before I arrive at the gym for my workout?” so this week I’ll focus on what to eat in the hour before your workout.

Within the one-hour window, meals should be high in carbohydrate and contain some fluid. Carbohydrate and fluid will clear the stomach rapidly and the nutrients are moved quickly into the working muscles. Fluids pre-hydrate you for your workout. Avoid fat in these meals because fat requires more time in the stomach to be digested and is not a good choice for the one-hour window.

What should be in the meal? Here’s the formula: no more than one gram of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight.

Translated into real food, that could mean something like an English muffin with 1Tbsp of honey, 8 oz. (1 cup) of orange juice and 8-oz. (1 cup) of water. Think high-energy foods that are easily digested. Bananas, bagels (small), corn flakes, carrots, oatmeal, jelly beans, cookies, (Yes, I said jelly beans and cookies. Pre-workout is a great time to indulge your sweet tooth…those carbs are quickly digested and ready to fuel you through a great workout), are all good choices pre-workout. This is also a good time to consider sports drinks as they are high in carbs and easily digested so you won’t have that “heavy on thestomach,” feeling.

Next week, what to eat 1-4 hours before your workout.

Your Best Body Challenge Begins!

Ginny Grupp — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 21:38:08 +0000

It’s here! AlaskaFit’s Your Best Body Challenge. I’ve joined with some of the very best of Anchorage’s businesses to bring you the AlaskaFit Your Best Body Challenge.

Click here now to find out how you can win over $1,300 in prizes from these Anchorage Businesses:

Alliance Chiropractic & Wellness Center

Anchorage Yoga

Chez Ritz

Karie Tieszen, Licensed Massage Therapist

PowerHouse Gym

Your Best Body Challenge

Ginny Grupp — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 00:08:18 +0000

I’m super-excited to announce that we are launching an 8-week fitness and health challenge. I’m wrapping up the details and will announce everything on Wednesday. We have over $1,300 in prizes for the winners and we’ll be donating a portion of the entry fees to Beans Cafe. Everyone wins! Watch this space for details.

A Guide to Fueling Your Workout

Ginny Grupp — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:41:53 +0000

I often get nutrition questions from my Boot Campers, so for July, I’m featuring a weekly nutrition articles that focus on how what you eat affects your workouts.

This week, I’ll begin with a short review of the basic nutrients. Next week, I’ll cover the pre-workout meal (what to eat 1-2 hours before your workout). Week 3 will be what to eat 2-4 hours before your workout and Week 4, what to eat after your workout. All of these factors are critically important to your success in our Boot Camp classes or any other workout you may be doing.

Nutrition 101: Basic Nutrients Defined. Nutrients are the reason we consume food and fluids . . . to give the body what it needs to function properly. With all of the food options out there, there are only six types of nutrients:

1. Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred energy source, and contrary to popular belief, are not the enemy. They are easily digested, readily available energy for the body to use. Carbs come from various sources, including whole wheat bread, sugar, fruit, etc. Carbs provide 4 calories of energy per gram.

2. Proteins are the building blocks of body tissue and integral for muscle growth. Protein provides 4 calories of energy per gram.

3. Fat is essential for utilization of fat-soluble vitamins and some fats are beneficial for heart health. It’s energy dense, and provides essential fatty acids (Omega-3s and Omega-6s) which the body cannot produce on its own. Fat provides 9 calories of energy per gram.

4. Vitamins aid in bodily functions such as energy metabolism, bone maintenance and building, and reducing the damage done by free radicals. Without them, the energy in food cannot be used by your body’s cells. Vitamins provide 0 calories of energy per gram.

5. Minerals are inorganic (non-living) substances and are essential to human health. Each of the minerals we require, such as calcium, zinc, iron, sodium chloride, etc., comes from the foods we consume. They cannot be manufactured by our bodies. Minerals provide 0 calories of energy per gram.

6. Water and other fluids are essential for keeping the body hydrated and functioning properly. Water is a highly under-rated, and often forgotten, nutrient. Water provides 0 calories of energy per gram. Other fluids vary.

If you would like more detailed information about eating right for your specific metabolic profile, check out our Nutrition KickStart Plan. We offer Resting Metabolic Rate testing, meal plans and grocery shopping lists. We make it super-easy for you to begin eating right, right now.

Singin’ (or Something) in the Rain

Ginny Grupp — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 06:12:28 +0000

A HUGE thank you to all of the Boot Campers who showed up tonight despite the amazingly torrential downpour that began 10 minutes before Boot Camp started tonight…YOU ROCK!!! Congratulations to all of the tough-guys and tough-women who braved the weather for a booty-kickin’ good time tonight.

What’s in YOUR Protein Powder?

Ginny Grupp — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:29:25 +0000

Many of us (myself included) use protein powders in various forms and for different reasons. Maybe it’s a quick meal replacement, maybe it’s a post-workout drink. And, you may think that they’re pretty interchangeable. You may not be very brand-loyal, going with what’s inexpensive and convenient. Consumer Reports recently took a look at some of the most popular protein powders on the market and, no surprise, they found some ingredients that aren’t listed on the label, all of which can be detrimental to your health.

They purchased 15 protein powders or ready-to-drink supplements either in local stores or online. What they found was elevated levels of heavy metals…specifically, lead, cadmium and mercury. They also found elevated levels of arsenic. Yup, arsenic.

What brands did they test? Muscle Milk, Jillian Michaels Natural Whey Protein, EAS Myoplex, GNC Lean Shake and Pro Performance, Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard, Muscle Tech Nitro-Tech Hardcore, Six Star Muscle and Solgar Whey to Go. You may have seen these and/or used them. Every one of them contained arsenic and most of them contained lead at levels at or near the FDA limits (Muscle Milk chocolate had 13.5 micrograms of lead, Muscle Milk Vanilla, had 12.2. The FDA limit is 5 micrograms.).

Now, while micrograms are tiny amounts, the problem is that these metals build up in our system. Doing something simple like avoiding known intake of these substances is a simple step towards optimum health.

This is the primary reason that I, personally, only use Shaklee products. They have a long, safe history. They test the raw ingredients that are going into their products BEFORE they begin production, and then the products are tested again once they are created to ensure that these kinds of ingredients are NOT in their product. They source the finest natural ingredients. Then they conduct over 350 tests on every single new botanical ingredient for heavy metals, pesticides, or any of hundreds of other harmful contaminants. And they continue to conduct over 80,000quality tests annually to guarantee the purity and safety of each and every product.

Prior to being introduced to Shaklee, I have NEVER recommended ANY supplement of any kind to any of my friends, family or clients, because of reports like the one in the latest Consumer Reports. I just didn’t know who to trust and I certainly wasn’t going to bring shakes and products to a local lab for testing. I now use Shaklee products daily and am 100% confident in recommending them to you.

Please take a moment to review the Consumer Reports article yourself. There are better, safer choices out there for you and your family. Click here to make the change now. Get a better, safer (and did I mention tastier?) product today. Do it for your health. Do it for your family.

Remember, it’s not about getting into shape, it’s about getting into life!

Putting It All Together

Ginny Grupp — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 08:00:15 +0000

Now you have the individual pieces and it’s time to put it all together.

Begin with exercises 1 and 2, the wood chop and the ice skaters. Complete one minute of each exercise, then repeat twice. This will give you a 6-minute warm up of both upper and lower body.

Do as many pushups/side planks as you can (exercise #3) in good form. You can begin the exercise on your toes and as you get tired, drop down to the knees. Once you start to lose it in your middle, the exercise is over because with bad form, you only risk injury.

Follow this with either the triceps pushup or the walking lunge with overhead press. Again, for both of these, you will want to complete 2-3 sets of up to 15 repetitions of each exercise. If you can’t do 15 reps of the pushups or triceps pushups just now, don’t worry about it. Do as many as you can in good form and do one more tomorrow. Add on as your strength increases.

Throughout all of these exercises, it is crucial that you keep a bit of tension in your core. Keep that up through the entire workout and you’ll be getting an abdominal workout without even trying.

Once you’ve done your 3 sets of each exercise, stretch for about 5 minutes and you’re done. Quick, efficient and challenging.

To your health!
Gin

P.S. Let me know what you think of the workout and if you decide to take on the challenge of doing these exercises every day for a couple of weeks, tell me what improvements you see in your body, your mind and your strength.