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.

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?

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!

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.

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

Alliance Chiropractic & Wellness Center

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]]> http://anchoragepersonaltrainer.com/your-best-body-challenge-begins/feed/ 0 http://anchoragepersonaltrainer.com/your-best-body-challenge/ http://anchoragepersonaltrainer.com/your-best-body-challenge/#comments Tue, 13 Jul 2010 00:08:18 +0000 Ginny Grupp http://anchoragepersonaltrainer.com/?p=1306 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.

Jesse

Kalika

Joe

Andrea