Running is Not a Beginner's Exercise

I come across a lot of people that tell me “I haven’t exercised in a long time but I picked up running a couple times a week” or (I love this one) “I started training for a half marathon to get back in shape.”  More often than not that is also followed by “but I'm having knee problems" or "I got shin splints,” or something of the sort.

I’ll repeat the title of this blog post….running is NOT a beginner’s activity.   Each time your foot hits the ground, you are putting 3-4 times your own body weight of stress on your joints (This is 450-600lbs of stress for a 150lb person).  Of course everyone is different and everyone has a different grasp upon the knowledge of his or her own body.  But in my experience, the mind-body connection for most people has been lost somewhere in the countless hours sitting at a desk, watching TV or just complete lack of movement in general.  If you’ve been a runner before, an ex-athlete or just have a great awareness of your body and know when to back off and when things don’t feel quite right, then I am not necessarily talking to you in this article (although I believe my upcoming recommendation still holds true).  If it’s been 6 months or more since you’ve regularly exercised and/or you are 20 or more pounds overweight, then I highly suggest holding off on the running routine until you have complete at least a month of body weight, low impact strength training followed by a gradual increase of plyometric activites (like burpees, squat jumps, speed skaters).  At Boot Camp U, we start everyone at his or her own level.  Since we do most exercises for time, this allows you to do every activity at your own level and pace.  We can modify all activities to your own fitness level as long as you communicate your fitness level and/or any injuries to your trainers before the first class.  Every single high impact exercise has a low impact modification.

So to sum it up, before you throw on your Asics, head out the door to start your exercise journey, please consider starting with some low impact strength training such as (squats, push-ups, lunges and LOTS of core exercises). This will help you build up leg, hip and core strength so that you have a strong enough base for running.  Muscles are your body's "shock absorbers" so make sure you have strong enough ones to keep the stress off your joints.

Do diets "work??"

Ok, I must rant a little on diets.  Do they work?  Most of them....YES!  (yes, my answer was affirmative).  Let's ask that question again in a different manner.  Do they work long term???  Most often....NO.

My point?  Well, let's take the Atkins Diet specifically.  Does it work?  Well, that depends on how you define the word "work."  If by work, you mean lose weight?  Then your answer is YES.  The diet is designed to put your body in to Ketosis which is when the glycogen level in your liver are depleted.  This then causes your body to to use fatty acids as an alternative form of energy (it will usually pull from the glycogen stores in your cells).  So by design, this diet does exactly what everyone seems to want.  Weight loss (more specifically fat loss).

If by "work" you mean healthy?  Then I say NO.  In my opinion, if you are not going to do something long term....why do it?  Should you do the Atkins long term?  Absolutely not (again, in my opinion).  Your body NEEDS carbohydrates and the Atkins diet has been shown to put a lot of stress on your liver.  One of my grad school professors used to always say "fat burns in a carbohydrate flame."  You need carbohydrates to burn fats healthily.

To further my point, I have a client that is currently doing the Atkins diet (not by my recommendation) because he's done it before and it "worked."  Not sure how long ago it was he did it but he has since put the weight back on and is using it again to lose weight.  Since he started, he has done about half as much during the workout as he used to.  Constantly stops to catch his breath.  Is dizzy and needs breaks often. That should be a sign right there.

The other point I'd like to talk about with weight loss is....what KIND of weight are you losing.  Not all weight is created equal.  Remember, your body has lean muscles mass weight, bone weight along with fat weight.  Some weight loss diets (especially very restrictive ones) cause you to lose a little of the "right " kind of weight (fat) along with some of the wrong kind of weight too (muscle).  There is almost never a case in which you want to lose lean muscle mass.  And if your diet is restrictive, doesn't include enough protein and you aren't eating the proper amounts often enough, your body will break down your muscle to use for energy. Not good.

You wanna know what diet works?  ......ALL the time, for the rest of your life, and provides the right amount of fuel for activity and exercise?!?!?!  A "diet" that focuses on eating the right things to keep your metabolism up.  That is the healthiest way to burn fat.  You should shoot for a complete and balanced diet in that is protein-focused (but still includes good carbs) which your body gets the right amounts of vitamins and nutrients from clean foods.  These foods should be unprocessed, not packed with preservatives and as close to their natural form as possible.  If you are not getting a complete amount of vitamins and nutrients from these foods, then add supplementation to fill in the gaps (and by supplements, we means vitamins, nutrients and protein....not fat loss pills).

Do you guys have any thoughts on this?  I know there are differing opinions and even research showing both sides of the story.  This is just my opinion.

~Coach Robyn

Coach Kim's Update - Consistency

Consistent - (of a person, behavior, or process) Unchanging in achievement or effect over a period of time

Wow!! What a difference being consistent makes! We have been at this Challenge for almost a month, and I can already tell a difference. Being consistent with my supplement routine is totally paying off to the point that I've even lost weight. Weight loss was not a big goal for this challenge;however, seeing a 1.5lb loss really tells me something - my metabolism is fired back up! My weight has hovered around 140lbs for most of 2011, so it was a surprise and a wake up call to see that number move! After seeing the results of the past few weeks, it's easy to see that I had gaps in my own program - not eating enough protein, too many small cheats (I admit that I love "treats"), not be completely consistent with my supplement routine all led me to where I was.

So my message is simple - BE CONSISTENT - with your workouts, your supplement routine, your eating plan and all things health related. Your body will notice and will thank you! Even when you think you're being consistent (which is what I thought), take a step back and really look at it. How often do I work out? Do I give 100% at each workout? What does my daily food intake really look like? Do I take my supplements as recommended? Am I allowing myself to have too many cheats?

Plain and simple - We have to make the decision & commit to being consistent to achieve results!

Love Your Muscles...

Check out this video to see why I was so sore last weekend.  It's from the event I went to called Barbells 4 Boobs benefitting Mammograms in Action.

It's really fun to throw heavy weights around :-)  I hadn't really done a clean since my days as a college athlete.  Not because I don't like it, but mainly because it's not often you come across a barbell and some weights.....especially when you refuse to purchase a gym membership.  Barbells run rampant at Crossfit Boxes so I am going to hang out there a bit more.  My 90-Day goal of gaining lean muscle mass requires proper action to achieve it (just like reaching any goal).  If I remain doing body weight activities, it will keep my cardio up and I will MAINTAIN muscle mass.  But if I am looking to increase muscle mass, then I must INCREASE LOAD.

The same goes for all of you guys.  If you have been brining out 5 lb dumb bells to boot camp and the exercises aren't as hard as they used to be, that's a good thing because your muscles have adapted (gotten stronger).  But keep increasing that weight to keep increasing your results.

So why would you want to increase your lean muscle mass?  Good question.  A few reasons.  Muscle drives your metabolism, fat does not.  So if you want to burn more calories, then you need more muscle.  Muscle also takes up 3 times less space than fat does.  So if you want to be smaller, then you need more muscle.  CHeck out this pic below for a visual.

But remember, you can't just build muscle with exercise.  A bi part of growing, building and repairing muscle is your nutrition.  Make sure you are eating protein-focused meals and snacks throughout the day.  If you are not getting 100 grams of protein with the foods you are eating, consider using a protein shake to help meet your body's requirements.  Also, consider an amino acid supplement.  Amino acids are what your body use to make protein.  I have increased my Catalyst (amino acid) intake and can tell a big difference.  It may sound strange but my skin feels tighter and I look more tone.

At the end of this month, I will do a one month check-in and see where I'm at as far as body fat %.  I am curious to see what my change is so far.  Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a comment below!

Don't Forget to Dream a Little....

So I will get to my 90 day challenge updates here at the end but I had something else on my mind.  Last week was a rough week for me.  Lots going on...good, bad, stressful...the whole she-bang.  I think I felt every emotion in the books this week. Everything going on led me to do a lot of thinking.  I tend to think and analyze on a regular basis (some times too much) but I tend to do so even more when something is bothering me.  Anyway, I was thinking about what I do for a living (which also happens to be closely tied with my personal life as well).  I love what I do.  And it might sound like a complaint that I work every waking hour but it's not.  It's the nature of my profession and I love that I get to do what I am passionate about and get to surround myself with amazing people. Every waking day is an opportunity for me to impact someone's life in a positive manner.  Doesn't get any better.

I digress..... So when I analyzed what I do every day of my life and what things make me a good entrepreneur, what things I can improve upon, what things I do well, what assets I have, etc....  I realized that the most important thing I have going for me is that I am not afraid to dream.  Not only am I not afraid to dream.....but I am not afraid to chase after my dreams. When I want something, I go after it.  Not in a malicious manner and without knocking down everything and everyone in my path, but I go for it big time.  I don't let much stand in my way. I dream every day.  Sometimes they change, sometimes they evolve, sometimes it's more of a "vision,"  but I am always thinking about what I want, what I'd like my future to look like, what makes me happy and then ultimately....HOW do I achieve that? (<------ that is the most important step!)

I could probably ramble on but I doubt you all wanna hear it :-)  It's just been one of those weeks where I feel like my decisions and actions could affect the rest of my life.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE having control over my life and my career and having choices/options are good.  But some times they are scary. So this leads me to my conclusion and my favorite quote that I try to live by..... "FEEL THE FEAR.  AND DO IT ANYWAYS."

So I encourage all of you to dream a little.  And don't just dream to dream and then say "well, it won't ever happen" or "well it would be nice if that maybe happened....some day...."  Make it a realistic, obtainable and concrete dream and then start making steps towards achieving it.  Even small ones...

90 Day Challenge Updates for the week:
-Eating is SPOT-ON.  I had a cheat day where I had some pizza and a beer (and consequently paid for it), but other than that, it's been lots of protein, lots of veggies, fruits (trying to incorporate more), and nuts.  I've been good at staying away from wheat, soy and dairy (minus the pizza).
-Exercise - not as much as I would have liked.  I could give the "too stressed out excuse" but it's not a good enough one.  Honestly, I wasn't mentally motivated at all for a few days.  However, I turned it around and the end of the week.  Friday was my first chance to relax all week and after kicking it for a few hours, I decided that going for a run to clear my mind would be fun.  And it was.  Then today I did a crossfit workout which was 30 clean and jerks with 65 pounds for time (5:15).  Great overall body workout using every muscle in the body.

~Coach Robyn (written 10/15/11)

Coach Kim's 90 Day Challenge

I am SOOO glad we got this Challenge going especially as we wind down 2011. It's amazing how every year at this time nutrition & fitness commitments can start sliding, because we know the Holidays are just around the corner. This is helping to ensure that doesn't happen! :) This is the real "crunch time" (pun intended) to be hitting the exercise and eating healthy. We always wait until the New Year to gear up again and by that time we can easily have put on 5-8 lbs from the holiday feasting. No one every says "I want to look good at Christmas", but that is what I am saying this year!



Overall, everything is going well. My shoulder is feeling better, so I've been back to working out the upper body - lots of push ups & dips this week! I can already tell a difference in muscle tone...thank you Catalyst!

I love Austin in October! Perfect weather!

What does a trainer eat? By Coach Robyn

A lot of people ask me about what to eat and what foods I eat personally.  Well, when it comes to what I eat....it's really no secret.  Nothing crazy, nothing special, nothing too out there.  I shoot to eat foods as close to their natural forms as possible.  I do eat meat.  I have tried to go without and know that I am not getting the quota for the amount of protein that I need and I am not willing to get it from other sources (or at least all of it).  Yes, I do like legumes, lentils, beans, etc but I know that I cannot eat enough of those to get the 100 grams or more of protein I shoot for in a day to keep my metabolism up and ensure that I maintain or (in the case of my 90 day challenge goals of gaining lean muscles mass) gain muscle mass.  If you are one of these people, then please do NOT be vegetarian.  Being a vegetarian or vegan is very difficult and takes a lot of planning and preparation.  If you are willing to spend the extra time learning about how to use a vegetarian lifestyle to maintain good health then I am all for it.  If you are just going to eliminate meat and animal products without increasing protein from other sources, then I am not.

Whether you are a meat eater or not, protein shakes are highly effective at getting the amount of protein that you need.  I use Advocare's Meal Replacement Shake every morning because it has 24 grams of protein and time-released carbs and then I fill in the gaps throughout the day with Muscle Gain protein. The reason I like Advocare's protein is that it is a very high quality, pre-digestive protein that your body can use (aka it is bioavailable) within 15-20 minutes.  Getting this protein to your muscles in a quick fashion helps your body use it to grow, recover and build muscle which all leads to increased metabolism.

Back to what I eat.  Well, most of the time when I cook for myself, I load up on a ton of different veggies from Sprouts or the Burnet Road Farmer's market.  I also make sure I have a good protein source like Salmon, Chicken, Turkey, Lean Beef or sometimes Pork.  If at all possible, I'm buying from the farmer's market or something that is local.  When I cook, I am not gonna lie....I just cut everything up, throw some olive oil in a pan with garlic and span fry it up.  There are many others ways but this is my preferred for taste and amount of time it takes.  Yes, I am a creature of convenience as well.  This is usually my dinner.

For breakfast (or for me it's a mid-morning meal since I usually get up early and have a meal replacement shake), it's most likely 2-3 eggs, some leftover protein from the night before's dinner and some random veggies like peppers, onions, kale, spinach, etc

Throughout the day, I'm snacking on nuts, carrots and hummus, avocados, apples with peanut butter and my leftover meals.

And that's about it!  There's really nothing left for me to include here.  It's pretty simple......at least for me.  I have learned what foods effect my body negatively over the years and I simply try to stay away or reduce the consumption of them all together.  Fried food is completely OUT.  Frozen meals GONE.  Breads and Pasta, drastically reduced.  Fast food (the traditional kinds).....well I don't even consider what they serve "food" so absolutely not.  Dairy....not anymore. I stick to clean foods.  Fruits, veggies, lean proteins, healthy fats and complex carbs.

Supplements are essential in my world.  Out of all the brands and company out there, Advocare is the only one I've come across in which I absolutely trust that the product does what it says it does.  I just know I can trust each and every single one of Advocare's products.  Not to mention that I feel a noticeable difference when I take them as well as increased results when my clients do.

Here's what I had for dinner this evening which is pretty typical a few nights per week.  I had a burger with avocado on top, portabella mushrooms, kale, onions, squash and cabbage. This meal took me about 30 minutes to make start to finish.

~ Coach Robyn

Coach Kim's 90 Day Challenge - Days 2 - 4

Check out my friend Donna! She is my inspiration during this 90 days. Her results all started with Advocare & exercise!!

It has been a good week so far! Here is a quick recap of days 2-4.

Day 2
Tuesday didn't go quite as planned as my brain was totally occupied with my shoulder "issue". For peace of mind, I got it looked at and received good news! It's nothing serious! :) Just need lots of ice and rest. Teaching boot camp with only one arm is a bit weird but at the same time very funny! Long story short - this ended up being a REST day instead of the scheduled cardio day.

Day 3
Exercise Recap -
10 minute power walk before 9am bootcamp
15 minute cardio/strength workout consisting of: pop squats, squats jumps, jumping jacks, high knees, butt kicks, squats jacks & jump rope. Easy way to get that heart rate up & holy smokes feel a leg burn!
Lots of Pliet Squats at camp :)

Day 4
15 minute leg circuit - lunges, squats, squat jumps, skaters, split jumps (3, 5 minute rounds)
Still no arm work :(

I need to log some serious miles the rest of this week! At this point, the biggest nutrition challenge for me is definitely going to be getting in enough protein.

90 Day Challenge - Coach Robyn's Goals

You know, I was thinking about this yesterday as I commenced my 90 day fitness and nutrition challenge.  Most people go into the last 2-3 months of the year with the mindset of just "letting go" until January 1st.  Most people do not have the mindset of creating new goals, staying on top of their workout routine (or maybe even increasing it), not falling into the trap of over indulging at holiday parties, etc as we get to the latter part of the year.  Well, it really comes down to the fact that your body NEVER takes a holiday.  It still requires the same love and attention (aka nutrition and exercise) that it did on January 1st, the same attention that it did when you decided you wanted to look good in a bikini for summer and the same attention it needs when you committed to being a healthy example for your kids or others around you.  It dawned on me today how strange it may be to set out to achieve quite possibly the most lofty physical goals I have set out to achieve for myself since the days of being a college athlete.  Which is funny because even then I didn't really create my own goals.  I just worked hard at the goals set out for me by my coaches and training staff. So now I'm on my own to fend for myself.  The owner of a fitness business who has admittedly not been on top of her workout routine (at least on regular basis) since starting Boot Camp U Austin.  This may surprise you for many reasons but most people are surprised because of one main reason......I look no different today than I did two years ago.  Well, the reason for this is that I have stayed on top of, and even improved on, my nutrition.  I have continually cleaned up my diet over the past two years and in the past year's time, have added Advocare supplements to my nutrition routine.

Having said all this, I am still not satisfied.  Not with the way I look but with the way my body functions.  I have nagging knee issues that, I believe, are a direct results of my lack of regular strength training in the past 2 years.  I just don't feel functionally strong for what I do and for what I know my body is capable of.  It's time to change.

This is one of the reasons that Coach Kim Kravanya and I have decided to take on this challenge.  We decided that we need to stop SAYING and TALKING about the things we want to achieve (how many of you out there find yourself saying "I should do this" or "I should do that..." over and over) and just do it!  We are putting ourselves out there to you guys in order to hold ourselves accountable, to show you that we, too, are human and to also teach you that in order to obtain your goals, you need to write them down.  And don't forget to tell others.  Write down WHY you are doing it (because if your WHY is strong enough, you will do whatever it takes) and what you will do to get there (your plan of action).

Ok, so here are my 90 day goals:
- Increase my lean muscle mass by 5-7lbs
- Decrease body fat % by 2%
- Completely clear up digestive issues
- Decrease or completely eliminate knee pain (I would like to run the Austin Half Marathon in Feb 2012)
- I will foam roam and stretch daily

How I plan to achieve this:

Exercise
-2-3 days a week of strength-training focused exercise (For me, this will mean a boot camp style workout.  The same as you do, with increasing weight as time goes on.  I will be doing the same exercises with 10, 15 and 20lb weights.)
- I will attend at least one crossfit class at (like the ones at Crossfit Texas) per week
- Run at least once per week
- I will also add some cross-training activities to my routine like Mountain biking, trail running, SUPing, kayaking, hiking and Yoga

Nutrition - Foods
- I will concentrate on a very protein-focused diet (getting at least 100 grams per day)
- Drink at least 100 oz of water daily
- Eat very clean diet that is focused on eating foods that are as close to their natural form as possible
- Reduce Dairy, Wheats, Soy, Refined Sugars (I eat very similar to Paleo)

Nutrition - Supplement Routine - using Advocare Nutrition Products
-Spark, Catalyst & Thermoplus every morning with my first MNS MAX 3 vitamin pack
- 15 minutes later a Meal Replacement Shake (24 grams of pre-digested protein and 24 grams of time-released carbs that don't spike your blood sugar)
- mid-morning snack (I shoot for about 15 grams of protein in this snack)
- Second packet of MNS MAX 3 vitamins before lunch, third and fourth packet after lunch (lunch I try to get 30-40 grams of protein)
- Another Spark and Catalyst mid-day (3:00ish)
- Muscle Gain Protein shake (25 grams protein per serving) before boot camp or PM training
- Protein focused dinner with limited carbs (mostly from veggies, shooting for 30-50 grams protein)
- After dinner, I take Omegaplex (omega 3s and 6s), Joint Promotion and Probiotic Restore
- Before bed, I take Night-time Recovery

Nutriton - Workout Supplement Routine - Using Advocare Nutrition Products
- Pre workout- Spark, Catalyst, O2 Gold and Rehydrate (I add Mass Impact if strength training, Arginine Extreme if it's a cardio workout)
- During workout - Rehydrate
- After workout - Post-Workout Recovery shake

I will also be going to see Dr. Dave Cohodes at Redline Sports Therapy so that he can make sure that my body is prepared for battle as well as recovering properly. I love going to him because he isn't focused on one body part solely.  He works on my knees when needed, sometimes my shoulders, my IT band, my calves, etc.  He treats my body as a WHOLE and since our body works synergistically, I believe that is the way it should be.

So anyway.....those are my goals and how I plan to achieve them.  Feel free to follow my journey, encourage me and ask me questions along the way to keep me on track.  YOU are the ones that inspire me to do this.  I get to see how hard you guys work day in and day out.  So thank you!

Day 1 :)

Day 1 and we're off and running! I woke up at 5am and was totally excited to get this 90 Day Challenge started. I've always liked a good challenge, and it doesn't get much better than challenging yourself to take it to the next level in w/e it may be. This challenge happens to be mostly a physical challenge, but it will definitely be a mental challenge as well. The great news is I'll have a lot of people out there helping to keep me honest, and provide motivation/encouragement.

So what exactly do I want to get out of this challenge?? My goals are:
-To tone up - especially arms and tummy
-Lose 2% Body Fat to bring my number under 20% (starting # is 21.5%)
-Perform cardio work 4 times/week
-Light strength/cross training 3 times/week
-Kick butt in the San Antonio Half-Marathon on 11/13

My supplement routine will consist of:
Spark - for mental clarity & focus
Catalyst - aid in toning while preserving lean muscle mas (very important)!!!
Thermoplus - help boost that metabolism
Meal Replacement Shakes (MRS)- breakfast, quick/easy way to get morning protein & DELICIOUS
MNS Max 3 - enhance my eating program & help fill in any nutritional gaPS
O2 Gold - enhance oxygen delivery throughout the body. Always a good thing!
Post Workout Recovery shake - post workout goodness to help with repair & recovery of the muscles
Rehydrate - proper hydration & electrolyte balance

Today was a light strength workout day, so I did one of my new favorite workouts. 100 reps of each of the following: Push Ups, Squats, Crunches, Dips, Bicep Curls. Got the heart rate up & definitely felt a good muscle burn!! Tomorrow will be a big cardio day!

I am ready to kick some booty! :)

Coach Robyn and Kim's 90-Day Challenge

Hey Guys!  Coach Robyn and I are pumped to start a 90-Day Challenge to help us reach our own personal health/fitness goals.  While we may have different goals (coming soon!), we will both be using the same format to help us reach those goals.  Format = protein focused diet, exercise and Advocare nutrition supplements!  We will be updating the blog regularly to document this journey and help us stay on track. 

Follow us for the next 90 days for updates on what we are eating, the supplements we are taking, our exercise routine, plus much more! 

Measurements (9/30/11)	Robyn	Kim
Chest	34.75	32
Bust (on / below)	32.5 / 28.5	33.5 / 28.5
Waist & Indent	32 (1 “ below Belly Button)	32.25 & 26 7/8
Hips	38.5	37 7/8
Thigh (upper & mid)	20.75 (mid)	21.5 / 20
Calf	14	13 7/8
Arm (right, left)	10 / 9.75	10 5/8  & 10.5
Weight / BF %	141.8 / 18.8	140. 4  / (coming soon)

If you would like to take a 90-Day Challenge of your own, just let us know! Let’s finish 2011 and head into 2012 looking & feeling better than ever!

~Coach Kim K