Happy Thanksgiving

Thursday's Workout
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of:
Burpies and Sit ups.



Friday's Workout
100 push ups for time

As we close of this round of boot camp, I would like to publicly congratulate all the ladies in this session. Many are repeaters and their improvements have shown in just about every aspect of their training.

This month I started incorporating a baseline workout to show them how much they've improved in upper & lower body strength as well as conditioning.

Here are your times ladies. The first time is the baseline from day one of camp and the second number is from today's attempt.

5:30 a.m.

Jill S. 7:27 6:45
Traci F. 8:05
Amy F. 7:33 6:16
Angela W. 8:12
Dawn A. 7:18
Brooke G. 6:00
Mary W. 7:51 7:03
Amy A. 8:11
Kendra C. 6:12
Stacey L. 6:11 5:53
Emily H. 10:21 7:39
Michelle B. 6:18 5:35
Kristie C. 10:44 7:25
Deb M. 8:31
Claire 9:45 6:39
Cheryl T 5:50
Rascia J. 8:06

9:00 a.m.

Angie W. 6:18
Tami T. 8:18
Angie R. 8:43 7:36
Juli B. 6:50 6:44
Shawn H. 6:13
Karen 9:41 7:44
Brooke T. 6:51 6:44
Meg B. 6:06
Mandi D. 7:06 6:52
Lisa H. 8:35
Diane W. 6:50
Patty B. 7:52
Pam S. 10:43
Peggy L. 7:11

Awesome Ladies. I know there was a comment about that some thought their times would be better, but there was a really good point brought up after the 9:00 a.m. class.

And that point was everyone recovered faster from that workout than they did the first time around. I specifically remember everyone laying on the floor coughing and talking about how they felt. Today everyone recovered almost immediately. That in of itself says a lot as to how you improved.

As we close out the last couple of days before the next session, give the two workouts above a shot sometime over the weekend. Keep the ball rolling and I guarantee that you will not have to make a New Years Resolution.......

......because you are living it now.

Always Live A Life of Thanks Giving!

Pizza Lovers Beware

For those of you who LOVE pizza, here is a recipe to bring a smile to your face without the guilt. After you make it the first couple of times it is really easy to make. I usually like to make a couple of different kinds at the same time because they do not last long.



Ingredients:
Crust:
2 Cups Almond Meal/Flour
2 Eggs
2 Tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tsp salt

Instructions:
Crust:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. This should give you a ball of “dough”. If your dough is too “mushy” continue to add almond flour until you get a good consistency.
3. Make a pizza sheet or baking tray non-stick. This is VERY important if you want your pizza slices to come off in one piece. (I even put oil on my stoneware!)
4. Press your dough on the sheet nice and even about 1/4 inch in the middle and 1/2 inch at the edges.
5. Put crust in the oven for 15 minutes. It should look slightly golden brown when you take it out.



Toppings:
You will want to pre-cook any meat going on your pizza. Veggies can go on fresh and raw, or cooked depending on your preference. Your favorite cheese will do, we used Feta but would have been nice to have a little bit of melted cheese on top.



Sauce:
1 Small Can Tomato Paste
1/2 – 3/4 Cups Water (To desired thickness)
1 Tsp Dried Oregano
1 Tsp Garlic
Sauce:
1. In a saucepan, combine all ingredients. Use water to desired thickness. We like ours pretty thick. Feel free to add more spice if you want it, too.
2. Simmer on stove for approximately 15 minutes.



Toppings:
Whatever you want!
We used fresh organic baby spinach, turkey pepperoni, grilled chicken, and feta cheese!

Put it all together:
1. After crust comes out of the oven, spread sauce evenly over crust.
2. Add your cheese and toppings evenly on top of sauce.
3. Put back in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 15 more minutes. Cheese should be evenly melted.
4. Slice and enjoy!



You can literally make your favorite pizza or even experiment something that might sound good.

Enjoy!

Weekend Homework

Many of the core movements for boot camp can be traced back to something related to Olympic Lifting and running. As you study the videos below, really focus on form. Form means everything in exercise. Without proper form, consisting FULL RANGE OF MOTION, speed, power and overall performance will never reach capacity.

There is no reason to beat a dead horse here by covering something already covered by someone much more qualified to explain it than me. The CrossFit "What Is Fitness" journal explains maximum performance in a way better than I've seen in the past.

I encourage you to print it, study it, high light it and read it again. If you are looking to become better athletically then this is a must read. Find it by clicking here.

While the journal is printing look over the videos from the 2008 Olympics and the two on the Pose Running Technique.

Success

Success "the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors."



Make sure you read all the way down to see the second half of this video.

There are many facets of success. And in the eyes of the successee, their is no more important than the success achieved.

This morning the ladies in boot camp proved that theory. There were a couple of different ways I could have introduced today's workout. But I chose the one that would get the most success. If I didn't then I would no longer be able to use the tag line, "Committed to your success" in my emails.

My only regret today was not getting any pictures or video of the gals in action. Without further ado, below are the times of the ladies who came into boot camp today.

Oh, and did I mention the workout was 100 burpees for time?

5:30 a.m.
Brooke 7:13
Jill 7:39
Mary 6:38
Stacey 6:03
Traci 5:43
Angela 8:19
Judy 4:57

9:00 a.m.
Mandi 5:42
Sheila 6:17
Tonja 6:22
Megan B. 5:28
Diane 5:37 (This was her very first workout with us and rocked it!!!)

I could have easily set them up for failure by just throwing the workout on the board and telling them to "just do it". Instead I gave them a different way to look at it. And what happened is exactly what you see in the numbers above. They killed the workout.

The next time you tackle something that looks, at least in appearance to be impossible, tackle it with an aggressive attitude and amaze yourself what you can accomplish.

We are in full swing with the "November or Bust" Boot Camp special.

$99 gets you in for 5 days a week of boot camp for 4 weeks. Classes are M-F 5:30 and 9:00 a.m. at Elkhart Sports Center. To register and be one of the first 15 for the free nutrition add-on then you can take care of everything online by clicking the paypal link and the Michiana Adventure Boot Camp Registration links below:

Boot Camp Registration:

In the second half of the video below, you will create a great understanding in the type of mindset you need to achieve whatever success you seek. I wanted to go seek this guy out after seeing these video the first time. They are VERY POWERFUL!!!



I am anxious to see what you think. Post your comments below.

You "Tabata" Be Kidding!!

The challenge for the next 3 days is to get through each of the tabata workouts below. And just because I am not there with you does not mean you can slack!! Make sure to push yourself through EVERY 20 second interval.

Wednesday
"Core-Tastic"

Sit-ups
Russian Twist
Back Extensions
Windshield Wipers (lay on your back with feet straight up, arms out to the sides and lower your legs to the right, back to center and to the left) Just like a windshield wiper goes back and fourth on your car.



Thursday
"Thighs-O-Steal"

Squats
Mountain Climbers
Weighted Lunges
Burpees



Friday
"Show-Me-Those-Guns"

Close hand push-ups (diamond)
Push Press (Dip Drive with weights held at shoulders)
Dips
Sumo Dead Lift High Pulls (Remember speed is the key here)


There is a free online Tabata timer you can use to get through each of these workouts. Keep in mind the tabata is set up for one single 4 minute (8 round) workout. Meaning you will have to start a new timer for each of the 4 exercises. Keep in moving quickly so you do not let your heart rate drop too much. Click here for the timer.

What Boot Camp Is REALLY About

What is BOOT CAMP really!?

Over the years, and if you watch "The Biggest Loser", then there is a chance you may have the wrong impression of what boot camp is really all about. As you look over this blog you will notice there are no pictures of me yelling, no screaming (except for the ladies maybe doing so at me) and no crazy exercises only professional athletes can tackle.

What you see are smiles. People having fun doing things they may have not done since grade school - today's kickball included. My approach to fitness is quite simple.....give people a great workout by allowing them to let loose while giving them the opportunity to have fun doing so.

Spending these past three 3 weeks with the 21 Rapid Fat Loss boot campers has opened my eyes for the need to change my approach with fitness. The same approach that found me success in the past is not the same thing that works today. We are all stressed and just want to have fun again. There was nothing more fun than going out for recess in school.

All week I get to hear about Gage's days outside. Matter of fact, every day I pick him up from school I will ask him how his day was and what he learned in school. Almost every time it's the same, "I don't remember, but guess what we did out at recess?"

These are the times that will stick with us forever.

Why, you ask?

Because they were fun. We were given the opportunity to be a kid and do what kids do.......play with a total disregard for what is safe and an almost reckless abandonment in order to live in the moment. This is my new approach to fitness.

CrossFit is the best methodology on this planet, but there are times when we need to go back to our childhood roots. Where yes the activity may suck because it is difficult, but we still do it because it's plain and simply....fun!

Yesterday the 9:00 a.m. class had a little plank hold competition. What happened was a true test of will power and a lot of cheering from her peers during her max hold attempt.

Shawn held that sucker for 6:08!!

That is the longest I've seen anyone hold that plank. Truly amazing!!

As boot camp progresses, you will notice several videos and pictures of what the ladies are doing. Always fun and most importantly result oriented. It won't be long before the copy cats starts copying boot camp just like they did with CrossFit. But it's always more fun leading the pack than trying to catch up. And that is the same approach I ask each all of my boot campers. To all of you in this first camp, you are all awesome!!

Enjoy the videos!!

Boot Camp and 21 Days

Tuesday marks the end of the 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss Boot Camp and I can say that all the ladies involved have put in a lot of sweat and probably some tears in over the course of these 3 weeks. I often wonder how many of them realize how much they've improved over the course of a few short weeks. Not just in strength, but in confidence as well.

Some may not continue, but many will and to them I commend you for taking this step towards a healthier you. The media, infomercials included will lead you to believe you can reach your fat loss goals in as little as 30 days.

What they promote is not fat loss, nor over all health and fitness, but 20 pounds in 30 days. Considering the body can only metabolize about 1-1.5 pounds of fat a week, one has to ask where the other 28 or so lbs of weight loss will come from.

During the next few days we will be finding out the final numbers for all the campers who had pre-camp assessments. I can not wait to see how much they've improved.

Starting next Monday, October 4th we will be starting our full blown boot camps at Elkhart Sports Center. The 5:30 & 9:00 a.m. classes will be running 5 days a week for 4 weeks at a time.

During those same 4 weeks, Michiana Adventure Boot Camp will be running a referral contest and the lucky winner(s) from both the 5:30 & 9:00 will win 1 year free of boot camp.

Be sure to watch the below video for the details.



So here is how the Ultimate Referral Contest works:

First you have to register for the October 4th Boot Camp.

Once you are registered then you are entered into the contest.

For every person who you refer and comes on board to boot camp, you get half off your next boot camp. This goes for as many people as you refer.

Example: For every 1 person who joins equals 2 weeks of free boot camp.

The person who has the most referrals by the end of the 4 weeks will get 12 months of boot camp for free.

Make sure you book mark this post in order to refer back to it when you need a little refresher as to how the process works.

During boot camp I will have $100 gift cards for you to use to hand out to any friends, family members or coworkers as you refer them to boot camp. The $100 off is good towards both the 5 day and 3 day a week boot camps and is good for that 4 weeks.

When your referrers go online to register, you will notice a "How did you hear about us" box. There you simply type in the person who referred you and decide whether you are coming 5 days or 3 days a week.

Pick your payment option, hit submit and you're ready to rock and roll in boot camp.

Do not delay because I am looking to create a waiting list for boot camp.

As always,

Give your all!

Jim

There Are Those Who Can And.......

To paraphrase Henry Ford - 'There are those who think they can and those who think they can't, both are right; which are you?'

In a video of true dedication, this is proof that with a dream, a plan and a willingness to see it through no matter what, success will eventually come around. And sometimes it doesn't come around until you hit rock bottom.



Each and every one of us has our own definition of success. Whether it's to win a gold medal or to simply be the best parent we can be. Every ounce of success is accomplished when, and ONLY when action is taken.

"I wanna be in better shape", "I wanna make more money", I wanna take a trip to...."

My question is always, "How bad do you wanna.....?"

As you sit there and watch this video, think about what you want to accomplish in life. Then picture yourself achieving that goal and really feel what it would be like to have accomplished it. Cement that in your mind and begin to develop a plan to get there. Watch your progress and always have constant motion to that goal. And just as the individual in the video, you will be standing exactly where you want to be standing.

Never give in!

Jim

Never In My Life Have I Been So Hated and Loved.....

....in the same breath!

We are 14 days into the 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss Boot Camp at Sports Center. This entire program for these 3 weeks was to give those who have not tried boot camp a chance to see what it was all about.

Whether their goal was fat loss, weight loss, or to fit in to those skinny jeans, everyone of the ladies involved with the 5:30 & 9:00 a.m. classes are kicking some serious butt!!!



After several years of meeting all the different personalities {and comments}, you would think I've seen/heard them all. I am happy to say that every morning is literally like an "Event"! All the different facial expressions on their faces after I explain what their about to do is priceless. And then the comments to follow......

......well I'll just say that I should start keeping a journal of all the funny things I hear over the course of a day while coaching fitness.

And as always they feel like they will never accomplish what I set out for them to do. What seems to be an insurmountable feet of human effort and ability turns into one of gratification and accomplishment as they realize they just completed the workout.



If your goal is to lose that extra fat weight, fit into those skinny jeans, build lasting friendships or learn about nutrition, then Michiana Boot Camp is for you. The 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss camp is just about finished and I cannot wait to see the results from their efforts.

The full blown Michiana Boot Camps will be starting October 4th at Sports Center and there will be some really great program incentives to help you take charge of your health for 2010 and 2011.

You can be one of the first to join the ranks of the fit for October by registering here.

Boot Camp Is In Full Swing

After a long drug out process of deciding where to take my outdoor boot camp program, it became obvious one day while driving down C.R. 17 in Elkhart. And after a couple of meetings with the owners of Sports Center, God provided me an opportunity to bring my boot camps indoors and to do so all year around.

Below is a little piece of what the ladies are doing in camp.



This new hybrid version of boot camp will allow me to have a greater impact on Michiana residents, and do so through year round boot camps. Now with having a permanent year round location I can take my boot camp game to the top level. Just as Malcolm Gladwell mentioned in the videos from a previous post, there is a phenomenon of success based around the 10,000 hour principal.

After much research he found out there was a common thread running through EVERY successful person. No matter if they were a high level athlete or a top level computer programmer, they all had the opportunity to practice and hone their craft(s) more than most of their peers.

And the magic number......10,000 hours of experience in what they mastered.

After reading this in his boot "Outliers", I put pen to paper and figured out after 4.5 years of coaching Boot Camps, CrossFit classes, personal training and nutrition classes I have racked up close to 4,000 hours as a Fitness Professional.

At first this looks to be a lot of time in my craft, but according to the success stories in Malcolm's book, I am not even half way to perfecting what I love to do for a living. And this takes me to my current position.

As of Tuesday the 14th we are 7 days into the 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss Boot Camp. We have 36 ladies combined in the 5:30 camp and 9:00 a.m. classes. All are working their butts off because they want to feel better, look better and simply be better.

And boot camp has been exactly the platform to make that happen!

In the above video clip, you can see some of what they are doing in week 1. Now I will have to apologize for the music. Apparently my HD Flip does not work with my movie maker editing software. So you will notice there is some cheesy music called "Bouncin" the camera uses when editing a movie on its own.

Nonetheless, here is a teaser of what the ladies are doing in boot camp.

As for the next round, the open to the public boot camps start October 4th. There will be a 5:30 & 9:00 a.m. class running 5 days a week. To register and to find out what about the program you can visit the boot camp site. The one thing to keep in mind is that, unlike in the past, there are no stopping dates here. Boot camp enrollment is ongoing and you can start at any time. The $97 21 Day Rapid Fat Loss Boot Camp is closed, but enrollment for the first "regular" camp is going on now.

Register here.

How Come......?

I am frustrated, I don't know why and I am about ready to quit!!!!





Has anything clicked yet!?

Happy Birthday To The Love of My Life

It's not very often in a person's life do they get the opportunity to meet someone who has such a big impact on just about every aspect of their lives.

Each and every day is filled with a new challenge. Some good and some not so good. But deep down it is a great feeling in knowing that no matter how good or bad things can be, there is a smiling face always looking back at you.

This is where I can say that I am the luckiest guy in the world! No matter how I feel or what obstacle I stand against, there is ALWAYS a gentle touch, a soft smile and a soothing voice ready to let me know everything will be okay.

To Carole Ann,

Today I celebrate the wonderful women who understands me better than anyone else,accepts me just the way I am, encourages me when I need it and forgives when I fall short.

Today I celebrate the woman who has made my life warmer, brighter, richer, sweeter, better in a thousand different ways.

With this special day I would like you to know that I promise to give you all my love each and every day. It has always been said that you get what you give. And it is obvious the amount of love in your heart overflows to everyone who comes close to you. You truly get back what you offer to those around you. It is apparent in every aspect of your life.

To you and your gift of nurturing motherly love, I stand in awe as I watch you with the kids. Even with the kidz program you have a commanding presence where they are hanging on your every word.

Most will never really know how much you care for everyone you meet. How you have developed into the person you are and the love you have for helping people change their lives. These days are only the beginning. And with every passing moment I can rest with a big smile on my face knowing I will have you by my side for eternity.


To My Friend.....My Lover....My Partner.....I Love You.

Happy Birthday!

Opportunity Of a Lifetime

These last couple of weeks have really caused me to think about a lot of things going on in my life. Both Carole and I were a part of Grace Community Church's High 5 Sports Camps where we both acted as coaches for basketball and cheer leading. During those 5 days I had the chance to teach 9-11 year old girls and boys a little about basketball; more importantly about their faith.

In reflecting over those 5 days, both Carole and I agreed we may have gotten more out of those days at camp than the kids did....at least from a inner growth standpoint.

For a very long time I've had a desire to tie fitness and exercise in to a fitness mission. Now I am not saying I wanted to be or plan on being one of those off the deep end religious types - turning people off with my "Believe me or burn in hell!" theories - but always believed our bodies are "temples". Temples where we are responsible for being good stewards by taking care of them. It only makes sense to take care of what we have been given, not because we have only one body, but if we do not then we cannot use the gifts God has given us.

When you think of your health and well being as a gift instead of something to abuse, (and there are many forms of abuse) then protecting your "temple" to utilize your God given gifts only makes sense. If your own gifts can not be used to their fullest potential, think about all the people who will suffer because you can not do what you were set out to do.

That is a very powerful thought when you stop to think about it!

What happens when you, or I, take the focus off of ourselves and place it on someone in need of our gift(s)?

It's simple.....you can change their lives in a way nothing else can.

WOW!!!!

The reason for this post actually came to me this last Sunday after church. It just so happened that the kids had ole dad running late for church, again, so this day I had to change my routine. In doing so it turned out to be one of the best things to happen to me that day.

In the changing of my routine, I had to sit in a different area than normal. Just after the service started a friend walked over to me and had a seat next to where I was sitting. After the service he asked if I would be willing to speak to a group of fellow Christian business owners in August about how our bodies tie into being Christ's temple. To give biblical and real life examples of how and why we should take care of what we have been given. As soon as he asked me a thousand ideas ran through me head.

And this takes me back to the headline of this post. I am in no way looking at this as a business opportunity, though Scott said to market myself during the presentation. This is an opportunity to take what I do and have always wanted to do to the next level. To be able to use my God given gifts in a way to glorify Him and everything he has blessed me with. And the two pictures above are two of the best blessings a father could ever ask for.

Pictured above is what an AVERAGE American consumes in sugar per year. If you were to count the number of 5 lb. bags visible you would count 32. According to recent research, the average American consumes 160 lbs. of sugar a year. Now let's put this into perspective.

One 8 oz. can of Pepsi has 28 grams of carbs and 28 grams of those carbs are sugar. So in order to find out how many teaspoons of anything is in a food, or in this case a beverage, then know 1 teaspoon of the same sugar found in those bags above has 4 grams of carbs. The simple math in this exercise would look like this: 28 grams of carbs (sugar) divided by 4 grams of carbs (1 teaspoon of sugar) equals 7 teaspoons of sugar in one 8 ounce can.

Now, who do you see drinking 8 ounce cans!? It's always 16 - 20 ounce bottles. In the "typical" American's case - 52 to 66 grams of sugar carbs are in one drink (13 - 16.5 teaspoons of sugar). To break this down even further, and keep in mind this is only from 1 pop, there are 11 1/4 cups in a 5 pound bag of sugar.

To find out the REAL ugliness of this - there are 16 tablespoons in one cup and 3 teaspoons in 1 tablespoon. Drum roll please....................there are 48 teaspoons in 1 cup.

The math looks like the following:
11.25 cups per 5 lb bag of sugar
48 teaspoons in 1 cup
(48 X 11.25) = 540 teaspoons in one 5 pound bag of sugar

So if you had 1 pop a day then my annual numbers would look like this:
16 ounce bottles - 13 teaspoons of sugar times 365 days equals 4645 teaspoons of sugar
20 ounce bottles - 16.5 teaspoons of sugar times 365 days equals 6022.5 teaspoons of sugar

Hold on because the beating has only begun........

There are 15 calories in a teaspoon of sugar. Typically, 3800 calories will make up 1 pound of fat. I'll continue with the 16 and 20 ounce scenarios.

16 ounces - 4645 teaspoons x 15 calories per teaspoon = 69,675 calories for the year (18.34 lbs of fat added to your frame)
20 ounces - 6022.5 teaspoons x 15 calories per teaspoon = 90,337.5 calories for the year (23.77 lbs. of fat added to your frame)

The final number:
16 ounces of pop = 8.6 bags of sugar a year
20 ounces of pop = 11.15 bags of sugar a year

I would like to personally thank all the soda manufacturers out there for helping us with our blood sugar problems. Because of you the 54 or so million pre-diabetics in this country will help guarantee the drug companies stay in business down the road. And just like the idiots on the streets insure there will always be a need for Law Enforcement, scenarios like this will ensure fit-pros like myself will always have people to help. And I didn't say that with a smile on my face!

Stay tuned for the next post when I dive into the heart and what all this is doing to us as a human race.

How Come You Are Not Where You Want To Be?

I spend a lot of my time reading books on making me better at what I do. To say my library has become extensive over the last year would be a vast understatement. Of all the books I've read and in the process of reading, "The Slight Edge" makes more sense than most of the others. And the more I get into this book the more I realize it's the way I've lived and approached life - more so during my entrepreneurship, but the "way" nonetheless.

What really hit the nail on the head was the following:

"The Power of Compounding Effort"

Picture a huge, heavy flywheel- a massive metal disk mounted horizontally on an axle, about thirty feet in diameter, two feet thick, and weighing about 5,000 pounds. Now imagine that your task is to get the flywheel rotating on the axle as fast and for as long as possible.

Pushing with great effort, you get the flywheel to inch forward, moving almost imperceptibly at first. You keep pushing and, after two or three hours of persistent effort, you get the flywheel to complete on entire turn.

You keep pushing, and the flywheel begins to move it round a second rotation. You keep pushing in a consistent direction. Three turns...four...five...six...the flywheel builds up speed...seven...eight...you keep pushing...nine...ten...it builds momentum...eleven...twelve...moving faster with each turn...twenty...thirty...fifty...a hundred.

Then at some point--breakthrough! The momentum of the thing kicks in your favor, hurling the flywheel forward, turn after turn...whoosh! ... its own heavy weight working for you. You're pushing no harder than the first rotation, but the flywheel goes faster and faster. Each turn of the flywheel builds upon work done earlier, compounding your investment of effort. A thousand times faster, ten thousand, then a hundred thousand. The huge heavy disk flies forward with almost unstoppable momentum.

Now suppose someone came along and asked, What was the one big push that caused this thing to go so fast?"

You wouldn't be able to answer; it's a nonsensical question. Was it the first push? The second? The fifth? The hundredth? No! It was ALL of them added together in an overall accumulation of effort applied in a consistent direction. Some pushes may have been bigger than others, but any single heave---no matter how large----reflects a small fraction of the entire cumulative effect upon the flywheel."

That analogy actually came from Jim Collins, "Good To Great" book, and was used in this book.

As I sit here and look over how my life has played out, I'm amazed at how this is the way I've always done things. Never intentionally until now, but there was always that trait in my DNA that would not allow me to fall for the "Magic Bullet".

For this, I have a smile on my face knowing I am on the right path and have been blessed with the opportunity to teach others as well.