How To Be A Better Boot Camper

Boot camp is 6AM in the morning and it is a challenging workout. For some, those two facts can be daunting. There is no reason to feel anxiety when waking up with these simple rules because we have game planned the first part of your day for you. Its as simple as a bit of organization on your part and planning to make your whole day go so smoothly, it feels like you didn't have to even try at all.

Set your alarm

Before you go to bed, you should run a check list of things that you can do before your head hits the pillow. First, you should set your alarm. Unless you are used to waking up between 4:30 and 5:30AM you are going to need one that is loud enough to wake you out of your sleep. When you set your alarm allow yourself some extra time to get out of bed, especially if you like the snooze button.  Allow yourself enough time to get all your finish your daily hygiene routine and leave some time for a quick breakfast.

 Prepare your food the night before

When preparing your dinner, make sure you leave out a container so you can use some of that food for lunch the next day. It will not only save you time, but money. You will be less likely to order out while at the office and if you don’t get to it at lunch you will always have dinner for the next day. You can use this time while preparing dinner to also prepare a breakfast for yourself. You can boil an egg and put it in the refrigerator for the next day. Make sure the breakfast you are saving for yourself is easy to prepare, but won’t go bad by the next day. Pouring milk or water in a bowl to make instant oatmeal is also a great idea. You can simply reheat it and it will be ready for you in less than 2 minutes whether you use a pot or a microwave.  

Pick your clothes out the day before

You know you are going to boot camp, so prepare for it. Take a few seconds to check the forecast and prepare accordingly. If it’s going to be cold, set out layers for yourself. If it’s hot, shorts and a t-shirt should do the trick. Leave your shoes that you want to wear out so you can just put them on and be out the door. Your clothes can be set on a dresser or even in your bathroom if you are really into saving time. During the winter, you can save even more time by putting your socks on while you are waiting for warm water to trickle out of your faucets.

                    Get to bed early

This is one of the most important things besides actually setting your alarm to get up. If you don’t go to bed early, you probably won’t even hear your alarm go off when it’s time to get up. Whether you are first starting boot camp, or are a seasoned Forger, you should get around 8 hours of sleep. We start boot camp at 6AM so going to bed anytime after 11PM will probably make it a difficult go once you get to class. Try to get to bed between 9 and 10:30PM. You will need the rest for class, besides nothing good really ever happens after 10PM anyway!

Put your stuff close to the door

Your water bottle, towel and or yoga mat should be right by the door. You put them here so you don’t have to go searching for them every time you come to class.  If you put them all together, it prevents you from wasting precious preparation time and you don’t have to worry if you forgot something. Another thing to do is always keep your stuff in the same place by the door, rather than in the general vicinity. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that lost or misplaced keys were the reason for tardiness for boot campers. A key rack or a table could be a great way to keep your stuff all organized so you can be ready rock and roll.

If you follow these simple rules to boot camp, you will be prepared for class with an unmatched readiness. You will achieve greatness in all that you do and take one more step toward conquering all that is fitness…Forge ON!

6 WAYS TO STAY HEALTHY THROUGHOUT THE HOLIDAYS AND INTO THE NEW YEAR

During the holidays it is often difficult to manage our healthy habits. It seems like every time around this year you get a little lax and start the New Year with the same weight you were trying to lose from the last New Year. There are many factors like family visits, less activity and even colder weather that affect our fitness, but here are 6 ways that you can stay in shape throughout the holidays and into the New Year.

       Do something you don’t normally do.  If you don’t work out, obviously my advice to you would be to begin a workout regimen. If you do workout, try something different that you haven’t normally done. If you normally walk outdoors, try a different path. If you use the treadmill at the gym normally, try a workout that involves the elliptical. Variety is the spice of life and so should it be with your workouts. Keep them interesting and varied so you will have something to focus on other than what’s coming out of your headphones.

  Drink more water Whether you realize it or not, you need just as much water in the winter as you do in the summer. Even though it is cold outside, your body uses a lot of energy to keep you warm. The colder it is, the more your body has to work to keep your core temperature stable. You may not feel like you are working hard, but your body is expending quite a bit of energy to keep you from experiencing hypothermia in your limbs and especially your core. Staying hydrated throughout the day can also keep you full. Water doesn’t have any calories so what better than something that can not only replenish your fluids from being out in the cold, but can also keep you from significantly increasing your calorie intake. You can’t snack if you are full so drink up!

 Talk with your food With family and friends around; you are more likely to eat more food than if you were alone. That being said, trying to cut back on the multiple plates can be difficult. The best way to prevent this is to talk while you have your food. It takes the brain 15-20 minutes to pick up the signal the stomach is full. If you spend more time talking and less time eating, that signal will get there before you reach for that next plate. You can also try eating fewer portions when you do eat. Eating a little bit of food throughout the day is much better for you than sitting down to scarf down a gigantic meal when you are hungry.

   Get Some sleep There is a lot of activity during the holidays as well as planning for these activities. Don’t forget to get an ample amount of sleep during this time of year. The amount of sleep needed by each individual varies from person to person, but most people need between 6-9 hours of sleep. Depriving yourself of sleep can prevent your body from fully recuperating and can lead you to gain more weight during the holidays as your metabolism begins to slow down. You can’t catch up on sleep either; the best thing is to try to stay as consistent as you can with your sleep on a daily basis.  

Shop often Why not? It’s the holiday season, people are expecting gifts from you and all the stores are having their end of the year sales. Walking burns calories and just as long as you aren’t spending most of your time in the food court, you’ll be spending some quality time thinking about gifts for loved ones while happily burning off calories. If you actually buy something, you get the extra benefit of carrying around weight and adding an element of resistance training to your cardiovascular mall workout.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Remember the Pyramid The food pyramid is going to be your best bet to eating right during the holidays. If you can stick closely to the FDA recommendations for consumption within each food group, you give yourself a good chance of staying healthy throughout the holidays and into the New Year.

If you are looking to jump start your New Years weight loss resolutions, or are just looking to maintain your healthy lifestyle throughout the holidays, these six steps will help navigate you through the gingerbread houses and chocolate fountains of temptation to happy and healthy you…Forge ON!

The 12-step workout program

What HAPPENED?? Not so long ago you were in good shape, could see your kneecaps and could touch your toes. Now the only fingers touching your toes are the fast food chicken strips you dropped on the floor. The office is what happened. You spend a minimum of 8 hours of day confined to a small space and its taking a toll on your waist line. Here is a very short and basic workout you can do anywhere for all you workout fanatics and weekend warriors to get you back you on the right track to a summer beach body. Its only 3 weeks away so let's get to it. 

1. 10 minute warm-up. This could be anything from a walk to a jog. Maybe even a combination of the two to get your heart pumping and your body moving. 

Upper body exercise

2. 50 big arm circles both directions (forwards and backward)

3. Pushups. You can do these a number of different ways, from your knees or from your hands and toes. Start with ten and work your way to 25.

4. Bench dips. Keep your hips close to the bench as you move downward towards the floor.
 

5. Crunches. Don't stop until you get to 50.

6. Plank. Hold for 60 seconds from your hands and toes (pushup position) or challenge yourself in low plank on your forearms and toes for 90 seconds.

7. Pull-ups. Find a bar of any kind and pull yourself up to it. Maybe even find a low hanging tree branch (make sure it can support your weight!). Go for 5 and work your way up to 15 in a row.

Lower body exercise 

8. Hand squats. Put your hands on the floor 24 inches from your feet and bend your knees so your hips come down toward your heels then raise them back up as high as you can. See if you can do 50 without toppling over.

9. Hip press. Lay on your back with the bottoms of your feet flat on the floor and press you hips off the ground. 25 should do the trick. 

You can also try a Heel press, where you point your toes toward the sky. On this one, the further your feet are from your hips, the harder the exercise. Press your hips up for 15 reps for a nice burn in your hamstrings and gluts.

10. Dirty dogs. Go to your hands and knees and lift your leg to the side while bent like a dog peeing. Make sure the opposite elbow is locked during your 25 reps.

11. Knee squeeze. Lay on your back with the bottoms of your feet on the ground and squeeze your knees together as tight as you can while you slightly raise your shoulders off the ground to reach your palms to the top of your knees. After 60 seconds you should start to feel the fatigue in your inner thighs.

12. Calf raises. This is one of my favorites. You can hang your heels off of a stair or a platform of some sort and raise them as high as you can 50 times. If you want to work on balance try it with one leg and if you really want to challenge yourself, try doing it without holding on to anything.

This is a great workout that works your full body. If you are going to do this routine, I would suggest doing it 3 times a week with cardiovascular exercise or a just day of rest in between. Stay healthy everyone and Forge ON!