Shake Up your Workout, Transform your Body and Engage your Mind

by: Mari Garner | Founder, The American Boot Camp Company

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 12:51:00 PDT

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Compete in your own Olympics this summer

by: Mari Garner | Founder, The American Boot Camp Company

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 06:14:00 PDT

The Summer Olympics are my favorite time of year.  I love the thrill of the 400 meter sprints, the competition of the swim and the excitement of the gymnastics competition.  As a former track and field competitor (I was a 100 meter sprinter AND a discus thrower in my glory days), my heart races at the start of every competition and my mind remembers the feelings as each athlete fights to win their event.

Those feelings make me feel young and alive.  But those thoughts were miles from my brain this morning as I drove to my early morning boot camp workout with The American Boot Camp Company at Chastain Park in Atlanta.   It wasn't until the warmup of the workout that the first twinge of athletic movement came back and then I remembered there was this girl in the group that I always want to beat and the game was on!  During my own personal Olympic games this morning, I competed in push-up competitions, hill races, 40 yard sprints (which I won the gold in - by the way) and even a bear craw competition (I didn't even place in that one).

I am not sure if the other people in the group had the same experience, but I am pretty sure that as a fitness instructor and the owner of a fitness business, I got one of the most intense workouts possible this morning.  I also feel like any athelte in the city could benefit from this style of interval training. 

Want to do your own Olympic Boot Camp workout?  Try these four simple items:

1. Warm Up with a slow jog to a 40 yard lunge walk.  Then pick up the pace to a slow jog again and then take three steps and squat to pick u an imaginary ground ball.  Do that for 40 yards and then slow back down in the a lunge walk adding a twist to warm up the core.

2.  Begin by jogging 40 yards, then performing 10 squats and 10 pushups.  Do this for 3 minutes

3.  Now to the first set of hill repeats.  Start at the bottom of a hill and sprint to the top, perform 5 squat thursts and then jog back down and perform 5 pushups.  Repeat 3X.  Make sure the hill is longer than 40 yards and as steep as possible.

4.  Lastly finish your workout with telephone pole sprints.  Jog to the first pole then sprint to the next pole.  Do this for 1 minute in one direction and 1 minute back.

5.  Always finish with a cool down of slow squats to bring your heart rate back down before stretching.

Find a partner and compete for the gold! 

 Or if the thought of doing this on your own intimidates you, just join one of the boot camp groups in The American Boot Camp Company! 

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Reality Check! "Why can't I lose this weight?"

by: Mari Garner | Founder, The American Boot Camp Company

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 03:20:00 PDT

Every day, I see clients that are successful at reducing and maintaning perminant weight loss.  And every day, I have a few clients that look at the success of others and say, "Why can't I lose the weight?  What are they doing different than me?"  These clients appear to be on the same program, following the same path.  However when I look closely, there are several things that seperate the successful from the unsuccessful.  If you are struggling with your weight loss goals, ask yourself these questions:

1.  Are you being honest with yourself?  Weight loss is actually a simple concept.  To lose weight you have to eat less and move more.  Being honest with yourself is the first step with weight loss.  In my boot camp program, I make all new participants start logging their food several days before camp begins - even though many of them choose not to follow the food plan until camp begins.  This is because it starts them on a habit of being honest.

2.  Are you moving more?  Do you exercise 5-7 days a week with an increased heart rate.  Not only will this help you burn more calories, but it will help you have more energy to do other fun things.  Exercise doesn't have to be boring!  Going to the gym and stepping on a treadmill is not always the best solution.  Try a group fitness class, such as kickboxing or a results based fitness program.  Whatever you do, get moving! 

3.  Are you making excuses? I often hear from my clients that they don't feel well, or they have to help a friend, or they just couldn't get out of bed, or they didn't get a good nights sleep.  All of these are excuses and often it take the tough love of a regimented program such as boot camp to help people move past their excuses.  Many of these excuses are directly related to the LACK of regular exercise!

4. Do late afternoon meetings and dinner meetings inhibit your ability to stick to a routine?  Try working out before the day begins.  And try making an appointment to do so.  Whether you sign up for an accountability based program such as boot camp, or you make an appointment to meet your best buddy at the gym, having someone to hold you accountable will help motivate you to get your workout in before the day gets away from you.

To be successfuly at long term weight loss, you have to make the decision to change your habits.  You need to commit to yourself and then find a program that works for you.  If you can do it on your own, you will need to eat a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein sources and combine this with a regular exercise routine.  Finally, if you know you need help, ask for it!  There are countless personal trainers and companys like my own that specialize in motivation.  And although you might pay more for their services, it will be worth every penny in the long run.  You are worth it, aren't you?

For more information on Mari Garner or The American Boot Camp Company go to www.TheBootCampCompany.com. 

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Get Fit to Wed: What really works?

by: Mari Garner | Founder, The American Boot Camp Company

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:08:00 PDT

Getting in Shape is tough!  Add on the pressure of planning that pefect day and the task seems enormous.  Many brides to be spend countless hours planning their wedding and fitness is a big part.  But what types of results are realistic for a soon to be bride to expect from a fitness program and how soon should they start preparing?

There is not a get fit quick answer and depending on your goals, your bridal fitness plan could take up to six months. That is why "bridal" boot camp type programs have become so popular. Many brides don't know where to start and want someone to hold them accountable during this stressfull time.  Your bridal fitness routine depends on your goals.  Check out these suggestions for where to begin:

• "I WANT TO LOSE 30 POUNDS":  It is not healthy to lose more than 1-2 pounds per week, so expect a 6-9 month plan. Make sure you have plenty of cardio in your routine as well as a healthy eating plan.  Try Weight Watchers and group classes at your local gym, or sign up for a boot camp program that does both.
• "I WANT TO LOSE 10 POUNDS": You should start your routine about 2-3 months prior to your wedding day.  Daily exercise and a sensible diet will help shed those unwanted pounds and have you looking great in your dress!
• "THE PLANNING IS MAKING ME SO STRESSED!":  Try hitting something in a fitness kickboxing class or pounding the pavement.  Exercising 5-6 days a week will keep your stress levels down and help you look and feel great on your special day.
• "I WANT TO TONE MY ARMS AND MAKE MY STOMACH FLAT":  Crunches won't cut it here.  You need to have a plan!  Try this Free Strapless Dress Workout or walk or run for 20 minutes a day followed by 10 minutes of core work such as ab bridge, pushups and reverse crunces.  Or head to the gym for a toning class.
• "I JUST DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO WORKOUT":  That is where the "bridal" boot camp type classes become so important.  These are usually just 45 minutes to an hour and are held in the early morning before the lists and phone calls distract you from your workout.  At 6AM, very few other things are going on, so excuses are minimized.  This is worth every penny, especially if you sign up for a camp with a nutirion plan included. 

For more information on what really works and fitness for brides, check out the recent article on getmarried.com.

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Me Trainer. You Client. Part 1 of 3 in a series of posts on finding a quality trainer in todays fitness craze

by: Mari Garner | Founder, The American Boot Camp Company

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 11:35:00 PDT

Me Trainer. You Client.
In today's growing fitness market, people will do almost anything to get into shape. The pressures have moved from purely looking good to feeling good to. Historically magazines and media protray perfect looking people as happy and successful and often create a distorted image of what happens in real life. If we see it on TV or read about it in a magazine, it must be true and correct, right? And people would do anything, including subject themselves to hours in a gym, painful surgery and even poor treatment by a drill instructor to look like the happy people on TV.
While the main reason for working out today is still looking good, we are finding more and more people beginning a fitness routine because of increasingly poor health stats from their doctors. With more people than ever in the overweight and obese catergory, more people than ever are joining the quest to get those people fit and healthy.

Unfortunately, the fitness industry is not set up for this. Doctors, nurses and dietitions go to school for many years, obtaining a 4 year degree then medical school, nursuing school and grueling internships. They have a tried and true training system in place that weeds out those that are not serious and does a fairly good job at creating knowlegable professional capable of living up to their high salaries. People put their lives in their hands, so this should be how it is done.

But what I am seeing every day more and more is that people are putting their lives in the hands of fitness trainers every day as preventative and prescriptive measures to lose weight, get healthy and stay healthy. So why don't ALL trainers have to go through the same type of certification and training that doctors and other health care providers do?

We see trainers with certifications that they got on the internet and many trainers with no certifications. The number of clients that I see that realy stories about how their trainers caused them to have perminant injuries is unacceptable. As a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Group Instructor and trainer for other fitness professionals in the outdoor fitness arena, I see many trainers with a passion for helping others that know and understand the need to continually educate themselves. But I also see many trainers with little experience, poor customer service skills and little to no knowlege of the body, giving advice to people on nutrition and fitness.

So how do you make sure you have a certified trainer?
Ask. Before giving anyone your money, ask to see a copy of the certification. Ask them where they are certified through and if they are personal trainers, how many hours of actual experience they have training clients with you. Ask for referrals and contact them. If you are joing a group program such as a boot camp, make sure you instructors have a group fitness instructor certification. If the clients begin to hold the trainers to a higher standard, the trainers will be forced to continue to educate themselves.

How do you know which certification is better?
The National Commission for Certifying Agencies or NCCA accredits programs that meet certian standards. Choose a trainer with a certification from a certifying body on this list. The following are the most popular certifications that you will see: NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine), NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association), ACE (American Council on Exercise), ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine). If your trainer doesn't have one of these, make sure to take extra precaution when interviewing them. Don't just believe that because they call themselves a trainer, that they can help you! More on this in Part 2.

Remember that you often get what you pay for. If you are using a trainer that gives you a "free" session at a big box gym, they are not getting paid very much and therefore may not be of the same quality as a trainer that has ventured out on their own.

Finally, look at how your trainer is running their business. If they are using illegal road signs, negative adversiting or are operating without permits, business licenses or insurance they may not be the type of person you want to rely on for your long term health needs.

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