You MUST try a boot camp! MSN says so...

7 Fitness Experiences Every Woman (or man) Should Try
Venture out of your comfort zone a little and try something new to get your heart rate up.
Sarah Jio, Glamour
MSN.com

We asked Jessica Matthews, M.S., a personal trainer and continuing education coordinator for the American Council on Exercise (ACE), to share the top seven fitness experiences we all should try before we die. Here are her answers:


Take a yoga class.
Yoga is a non-competitive, non-judgmental practice that focuses on the connection between mind and body. Yoga provides numerous physical benefits, like increased muscle strength and endurance, and improved balance and flexibility. The deep mindful breathing that is used in yoga improves lung capacity, dramatically reduces emotional and nervous anxiety, promoting relaxation, and also leads to improved body awareness. Yoga also provides numerous psychological benefits, such as improved mood and concentration, as well as an increased sense of self-acceptance. (P.S. Would you dare to try naked yoga?)

Work with a personal trainer.
A personal trainer (check out this past VG post about mean trainers vs. nice trainers) can provide you with a safe and effective exercise program designed to meet your specific fitness goals. Utilizing an individualized approach to exercise, a personal trainer will assess your current fitness level, educate you on health and fitness, and develop, guide and motivate you through a comprehensive fitness program that meets your individual goals and needs and sets you up for success.

Sign up for a fitness boot camp class.
Boot camp workouts continue to gain popularity as they provide a total-body workout that’s varied, fun and challenging. You can burn up to 600 calories during a boot camp session, which is a great option for weight loss. In addition to a great cardiovascular workout, muscles are strengthened through high- and low-intensity exercises like push-ups, squats and lunges. Exercising in a group also provides great social benefit, which for some may make your workout more enjoyable.

Take a hike.
Hiking is a fun, inexpensive way to get physically and mentally fit, while getting out and enjoying the beauty of nature. Hiking helps prevent osteoporosis, heart disease, and high blood pressure, as well as sheds extra pounds and improves overall physical health, well being, and longevity. Hiking also improves mood, reduces tension and improves overall mental health. The fresh air and beautiful scenery make hiking enjoyable and peaceful, and whether you choose a local trail near your home or set your sights on something bigger like Mount Whitney (the highest summit in the continental U.S.), the view from the top is sure to be both amazing and memorable.

Go kayaking.
Whether on a lake, river or ocean, kayaking allows you to connect with nature while improving your fitness. Kayaking, as well as other water sports such as whitewater rafting and canoeing, are low impact activities that improve cardiovascular fitness and increase muscle strength in the upper body, the torso and the legs from the continuous paddling/rowing motion.

Complete a race.
No matter the distance or how you complete the race (running, walking, rollerblading, cycling, swimming, etc), finishing a race gives you a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment like no other. For many women, signing up for a race provides the incentive and motivation to adopt a regular exercise program and healthier eating habits. Telling your friends or loved ones that you’re registered for a race will give you additional encouragement and support, which may increase your motivation to commit to giving 100% not only on race day, but also in your training.

Hit the slopes.
Skiing (cross-country and downhill) and snowboarding are great fitness options that allow you to stay active and enjoy the beauty and peacefulness of the outdoors during the winter months. Cross-country skiing is an excellent aerobic activity that keeps the heart rate up and strengthens muscles all over your entire body, all while putting minimal stress on the joints. Downhill skiing and snowboarding also improve muscle strength, balance and coordination - all while you enjoy the incredible views from the top of the mountain, and the excitement and thrill of gliding down the slopes.

Cedar Park 5-Miler and 5k

Come join us in Cedar Park for the 5-miler and 5k.......I (Robyn) do not enjoy running all that much and I will be there doing it so hopefully you will too! It is October 4th starting at 8am.

Kim did it last year in under 40 minutes.....GREAT JOB! Infact, here is a pic of her finishing it.....look at that quad!

Hope to see you all out there on Oct 4th!

p.s. a client of mine, Ryan, is also doing a Susan G Komen 5K at the domain November 1st

Good Time at Boot Camp

Had fun at boot camp tonight with the State Farm ladies and the 6 and 7 pm campers. We did a bunch of random things like:

-Burpees
-Squats jump with dumbbells
-Split Squat Jumps
-Russian Lunges
-Side Planks
-Abs with the Dynamax Ball
-Sprints
-Frog Jumps
-High Skips
-Side Lunges with Front Arm Raise
-Speed Skaters
-Push-ups
-Low Lunges
-Mountain Climbers
-and MUCH MORE!

Good job today guys!

Boot Camp Testing

Every 4 weeks, we like to test our campers to see where they're at and how much their strength and muscular endurance has increased. Most of the time testing includes how many squats, push-ups (both regular and modified), sit-ups (the full, gym-class style ones from your childhood), pull-ups (modified on a bar or railing) you can do in 1:00 and how long you can hold a core plank.

We always do an initial testing when they first start their boot camp experience and then at the end of each of their sessions. Most improvement (as you might be able to guess) is seen after their first 4 weeks. By your second, third (etc) re-test the numbers do not increase by as much. It becomes more of a mental game where you are really tested to see if you can push yourself past your limits.

The Round Rock Indoor camps just did re-testing this week and here are their stats:

Squats - Increased by an average of 5

Core Planks - Increased by and average of :36

Full Sit-ups - Increased by an average of 5

Regular Push-ups - Increased by and average of 10

GREAT JOB GUYS!!!

Are You Conserving TOO Much Energy?

from http://themojocoach.com/blog/

Conserving energy and natural resources is a great thing when we’re talking about turning off the lights when you leave the room or recycling. However, it is possible in the modern world of drive-thrus and remotes to conserve too much of your physical energy and limit how much you move your body in the course of a normal day.

Electric garage door openers, television remotes, electric can-openers, dishwashers, drive-through windows, and baby monitors enable us to stay put while we accomplish many of the tasks that at one time would have required physical effort. If you used to hand-deliver papers to your colleagues in another part of your building at work, now you can just e-mail them. If you gamble, you don’t even have to pull the lever on the slot machine anymore!

So many products and services make things simpler and easier, yet all of this energy conservation is making us bigger than ever. In a nutshell, the more “efficient” our world becomes, the less “efficient” our bodies become at burning calories.

Take a minute to think of someone who’s naturally thin. Not someone who lives from one diet to the next or rarely eats a meal, but someone who maintains their weight with seemingly relative ease. One thing you may notice about this person is that she rarely conserves energy. When she needs something, she goes and gets it instead of asking you to pass it to her. When she wants to get somewhere, she moves at a quick pace instead of strolling along. When she has free time, she often will choose an activity that requires movement, such as gardening, instead of watching TV.

Naturally thin people are often not as physically efficient as overweight people. They won’t wait for things to pile up before taking them upstairs, wait for the elevator when the stairs are right there, or wait for the closest parking spot to prevent a longer walk. They don’t think about the extra movement, they just do it.

Naturally thin people are also likely to fidget. Studies have found that fidgeters burn many more calories than their more sedentary contemporaries. Their bodies are constantly moving whether doodling, toe tapping, rocking while waiting in line, or pacing while on the phone. Movement expends energy (calories) and although it may not look like much, this extra energy expenditure adds up over the course of the day.

If you don’t know a naturally thin adult, take a look at your kids. If they need to get somewhere, they don’t slowly walk to where they want to go - they run, jump, skip, hop, bounce or glide! If you’re exhausted following a young child around all day, it’s because they’re constantly moving. The reason you want to hold their hand half of the time when you’re in a busy area is because they move so fast that if you don’t hold onto them, they’ll quickly run ahead! There’s no conservation of energy with them, just bursts of movement and action.

Take a look at how you’ve been conserving your energy in order to make life more efficient. While it may make things easier to move less, the extra energy and health you gain by adding additional movement to your daily routine can make you feel healthier and stronger. Challenge yourself to find two ways that you can move more. Pace while you talk on the phone, park farther away from your destination, take the stairs instead of the elevator, stop making phone calls to co-workers and walk to their desks instead. Commit to adding more activity to your day and to being LESS energy efficient!

Boot Camp U has arrived!

I am excited to start my very own boot camp business serving Austin and surrounding areas (including Round Rock, Cedar Park & Lakeway)! Finally, a boot camp in which every trainer is educated in the field of health and fitness with at least a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology. Our goal is to pass along our knowledge to our campers and educate them about body awareness, teach them the proper foods to be eating and help them reach whatever fitness goals they may have.

Our groups are small with a ton of personal attention. Every workout fun and no two workouts are the same!

Check out http://www.bootcampuaustin.com/ for more information and email Robyn at robyn@bootcampuaustin.com to sign up!

Stay tuned for more!