"Do or Do Not, There Is No Try"

If you know me, then you've probably heard me express that when it comes to my classes, TIRE KICKERS need not apply. I consider my classes as being a moving train that is on a one-way track towards your health and fitness goals. You're either onboard or you're not. Don't get me wrong, I want to work with and help as many people as possible, but in order for you to be successful, YOU have to want it. It doesn't matter how badly I may want it for you, if YOU don't want it, then it's almost a guarantee that you'll be derailed.

The reason that I say this is because, no matter what anyone else will tell you, achieving your health and fitness goals ISN'T easy. It takes a lot of hard work. If it were easy, EVERYONE would be healthy and in shape, and we all know that's not the case. The truth is, in order to change where you're at now, you're going to have to make changes to your lifestyle, whether it be exercise, nutrition, etc. That means that you're going to need to be taken out of your comfort zones.

If you're onboard 100% and you're ready to make these changes, then when you're taken out of your comfort zones, you're willing and able to keep moving forward no matter how tough things may get.

In contrast, when someone who isn't onboard 100% is confronted with these trips outside of their comfort zones, it's very easy to stop in their tracks and decide that they do not want to travel this path any longer, as it's too difficult. Well guess what. If you're not happy with where you're at now and you're not willing to make changes to your lifestyle, then how do you expect the end result to be different?

My classes are designed for ACTION TAKERS who are ready to take the next step and think that it's actually more beneficial to their health to do push-ups off of tires instead of kicking them.

Your friend in health,

Rich Rodriguez

www.healthyfitbootcamp.com

Don't Fall for Gimmicks or "Quick Fixes"

I often get approached by people who would like to work with me and are also in the business of weight loss. Sometimes it's cool, but most times it's not. Why is it NOT cool? Well most of the time the people that want to work with me have some sort of gimmick to what they're doing. They believe they have the "magic" product that's promised to deliver BIG time results in a little amount of time. Whether it be a pill, shake, or whatever else you can think of... most of these products are marketed as being too good to be true. And more times than not, that's usually the case!

The reason why most of these diet products are successful is because they substantially restrict your calorie intake. Remember the old Slim Fast slogan, "A shake for breakfast, a shake for lunch and a sensible dinner?" Well who the heck wouldn't lose weight on a 800-900 calorie diet? What Slim Fast doesn't tell you is that you're slowing down your metabolism, losing lean muscle, and putting your body into FAT STORAGE mode! What happens when you get tired of drinking shakes all of the time and want to actually eat some food? Oh I'll tell you. You know all that weight you lost, well it's going to come back and it's bringing the calvary. I don't mean to isolate Slim Fast here, but I've noticed that there are a lot of other programs / products that follow the same protocol.

Then there are programs out there that allow you to eat anything you want just as long as you fall within a certain amount of points. That's sounds cool and makes dieting easier for us. However when a slice of pizza is given the same value as salmon and broccoli, that raises a couple of red flags. Pizza = unhealthy fats and starchy carbs. Salmon and broccoli = healthy fats, protein, and fibrous carbs. Hmmm...doesn't seem like their value is equal anymore, does it?

Then you have fitness products such as Shape Ups, Perfect Push-up, Shake Weight, Ab Circle Pro, and whatever other silly devices out there that claim their product will give you the same body as the person in the commercial. Do you actually think that the person in the commercial got their body by Ab Circling or working that Shake Weight for 6 minutes a day?? C'mon now.

Don't even get me started on weight loss reality TV shows that are FAR from real. These shows, which can be very motivational, also feed us with many misconceptions about weight loss. They fail to mention that in TV Land there's this thing called editing, so what you see isn't always what you get. They make many of us think that if we're not losing 15-20 lbs a "week", then we're doing something wrong. This can lead us to overtraining, under-eating, and can create a drastically distorted self-image of ourselves. All resulting in being counterproductive to our health and fitness goals.

Then there are the magazines that are covered with fitness models or celebrities that are there to push the latest fad workout or diet. We buy into it because we don't look like that person on the cover. Well I have a NEWSFLASH for you. NOBODY looks like that person on the cover. Not even the person on the cover! It's not a big secret that photoshop and a little airbrushing go a long way. Even knowing that, we're still left feeling insecure and unhappy with our current physical state.

At the end of the day, that's how ALL of these products, TV shows, and magazines want us to feel. They feed off of our insecurities and vulnerabilities in order to SELL, SELL, SELL us a "better" and "happier" life. I understand this, but a vast majority of us fall victim to these tactics and that just doesn't sit well with me.

If you truly want to be successful in achieving your health and fitness goals, then you need to be exercising correctly, eating correctly, and resting adequately. You do those 3 things and you'll set yourself up for long-term success and none of this up-and-down crap that these fad diets and products often lead to.

If you need help getting started on your journey to health and fitness success or want more education on how to do so safely, please feel free to email me or visit the website. Healthy Fit is neither a gimmick nor a "quick fix". Our program is designed as a way of life, and that's the only way you'll find lifelong success.

Being a fitness professional, there were a few things that I just HAD to get off of my chest and if you made it all the way through this posting, THANK YOU!

Snow Trip

So it was my brother Little Dave's birthday yesterday and we decided to go snowboarding. Keep in mind that I haven't been snowboarding in 2 years and Dave hasn't been in 6 years. We both have very minimal experience, but we figured since we were going with a few people that knew how to do it, we'd just take their advice and save the money that would've been spent on lessons with a professional instructor.

So we get there and hit the bunny slopes, trying to reacquaint ourselves with our boards and the snow. Let's just say the 1st couple of runs weren't the prettiest. We tried asking for tips and tricks, but we received conflicting information, so we tried to position ourselves next to the groups that were getting lessons, in hopes of hearing some key info that would set us on the right path. Unfortunately we only heard tidbits of info here and there and never really got what we had hoped for.

After a few more runs of tough spills and bruised egos, we decided to take a lunch break. We were both pretty frustrated with our poor results up until that point and thought we'd have picked it up a little bit better by then. We were so frustrated that we decided to call it a day early, as we'd rather just hang out and watch the rest of our group have a good time out there on the powder.

After spending some time joking around and watching everyone else come down the mountain, we decided to give it one more try. It's not in our nature to just quit and we definitely didn't want to go home defeated, so we ended up hitting the slopes for another handful or runs and found that we were doing much better the 2nd time around. However, I couldn't help but feel that had we just taken the lessons earlier in the day, we would've performed much better and would've been able to go on some of the intermediate runs with the rest of the gang. By trying to do it our own, it ended up costing us more in time and effort for the minimal results we achieved than had we just took the time and a few extra bucks to learn from a professional.

So why am I sharing my snow trip with you? I'm glad you asked!

I see and hear about this same scenario ALL of the time, but instead of snowboarding being the topic, it's with working out! Especially now that it's January and everyone is at the gym working hard on their New Year's Resolutions (that only lasts a few weeks, but that's another blog). People go and try to do the latest workout that their favorite celebrity is endorsing at the moment, thinking that they'll end up looking just like them. They do so with little-to-no knowledge of how to properly perform the exercises, how much resistance they should be using, how many repetitions they should be performing, or whether or not that program even pertains to their goals.

If it's not the magazines or infomercials that tells them how to workout, it's their under-qualified friends, family, or simply them looking around to see what everyone else is doing. That's all fine and dandy, but when all is said and done, you'll end up just like me and Little Dave, too much time and effort spent with minimal results. I think it's pretty safe to say that when you see you're not getting the results you expected, there's an increased chance that you'll quit working out altogether.

Don't learn your lesson the hard way. When it comes to your health and fitness goals, maximize your time and effort by hiring a fitness professional who is TRAINED to help you reach those goals. Trust me, if you don't, you'll just be kicking yourself when you're at the gym next January still working on this January's resolutions.

Your friend in health,

Rich Rodriguez

Healthy Fit Boot Camp

Certified Fitness Trainer

Specialist in Sports Nutrition

rich@healthyfitbootcamp.com

www.healthyfitbootcamp.com

(925)586-7473

You Get What You Put In!

One thing is for sure when it comes to my classes and 1-on-1 sessions...YOU GET WHAT YOU PUT IN! Meaning if you make every class or session and you give me everything you have, then you will be rewarded. If you show up some of the time and only give partial effort, then I think you know what you can expect.

It's up to me to get the most out of you, and trust me, I will do everything I can to get it from you. However it's a team effort. If you promise to make every class or session, promise to do cardio on your off days and promise to be nutrition conscious, then I'll promise you'll be that much closer to your health and fitness goals. I don't want you to make the promise to me though. I want you to make that promise to yourself! If you want it bad enough, anything is possible!

Now LET'S WORKOUT!!!

www.healthyfitbootcamp.com

Why Healthy Fit?

You get to workout with people within your community in a non-intimidating environment, which is not always the case at local gyms. Classes are suitable for all fitness levels, whether you’re a beginner or an exercise enthusiast...you will be challenged. The class is designed to push you past your limits, but at the same time, is done so safely and under the supervision of a Certified Fitness Trainer, so you will never be forced to perform exercises that are outside of your ability. Above everything else, the workouts are fun, the people are great, and you’ll actually look forward to coming back for the next butt kicking!

I could fill this page with facts, studies, and stats that show just how important working out and exercise is for everyone’s health, but we know this already. Truth be told, I love what I do, it’s that simple. Teaching my boot camp classes and training people 1-on-1 are absolutely two of my favorite things to do. Helping as many people as I do is truly rewarding and it would be ridiculous to call what I’m doing a “job”. I am very honored and privileged to be in the position that I’m in today and I eagerly look forward to helping many, many more people for as long as I can.

Why Healthy Fit? The better question is why not?

Your friend in health,

Rich Rodriguez, CFT

Procrastinate No More!!!

I believe that everyone has good intentions when it comes to their health, but it's the execution that's the problem. Some people lack motivation. Some are professional procrastinators. Some just don't know what exactly it is that they need to do in order to accomplish whatever their health/fitness goals may be. The reasons one doesn't follow through with their intentions vary from person to person.

"I'll start next week." "Come the 1st of the month I'm working out!" "My New Year's Resolution will be to get into those old jeans!"

I think we're all guilty at some point of putting things off, especially things that aren't easy, such as working out. Sometimes it feels like it's just easier to worry about it later than to take charge now. My question is, why put it off for some trivial date when you can do it today? Just because it's not Monday doesn't mean you can't start working out on a Wednesday. God forbid you start in the middle of the week. I guess that means you'll be getting to your goal sooner. Oh darn.

If you're having a tough time getting started, then participating in a group class, such as Healthy Fit Boot Camp, will not only hold you accountable, but keep you motivated, educate you on the proper way to workout, and will put you on the right track when it comes to accomplishing your health & fitness goals. When you sign-up for my class, not only are you taking that all important first step, but you're making a promise to yourself that you're going to do what it takes to get you to where you want to be.

So stop reading this blog and head over to the website and take that first step...TODAY!!!

Don't forget that I also do 1-on-1 training as well!

Your friend in health,
Rich Rodriguez, CFT

Getting Past That Plateau!

When it comes to working out and losing weight we all hit that wall and reach a plataeu. We stop making progress whether it be in strength gains or weight loss. Our body is built to adapt to the stresses that we place upon it, so it's important to that we "mix it up" and "trick" our body into getting what we want...RESULTS!!! The smallest of changes can make a huge difference.

One way that we can mix it up is by increasing the intensity during our workouts at boot camp. Push yourself to do more repetitions. If we're working squats (and you know we always are) and your legs are burning and you just cannot do another repetition without resting...push yourself to get in 1, 2, 3 reps before taking that break. Those 1-3 extra reps will be presenting your body with a new challenge to overcome. Another thing you can do during boot camp is increase the weight of your dumbbells. If you've been with me for a little while and you're using 3 or 5 lbs dumbbells, then it's time to increase to 5 or 8 lbs. That little extra weight will, once again, present your body with new challenges to overcome. Those new challenges will yield new RESULTS!

Everyone should be doing some form or cardio or exercise outside of boot camp. Exercising 3x a week just isn't enough for results that we want. Exercising and being healthy is a lifestyle, so we need to be doing something at least 5x a week. What that means is that you need to be doing cardio at least 2x a week on your own on our off days. If you're not, then you're starting today! If you are doing cardio on your own, then HIGH FIVE to you, you're on the right track!

Ways to increase the intensity on cardio are to increase the duration of your cardio session, increase speed, incorporate intervals, do cardio on uneven ground (hills or changing incline on treadmill), etc. The main thing is to change it somehow, but at the same time keep your heart rate up! It takes your body approximately 15 minutes of continuous exercise before it starts using body fat for fuel, so try to get your cardio to last at least 20 minutes. Get it in when you can, whether it be first thing in the morning, on your lunch hour, or after you put the kids to sleep. Again, you need to get this in at least 2x a week during our off days, so prioritize it in your life. This is for you and will only get you to where you want to be faster!

The last thing that we can manipulate or change is your diet. Little changes here also go a long ways. If you normally drink 2 sodas a day, cut down to 1. If you go out to eat a lot, find places that serve healthy options. You need to eat 4-5x times a day, every 4-6 hours. This will keep your metabolism from falling into "starvation mode" and ultimately storing more body fat. So if you're not doing this already...start today! Breakfast is important, so try to eat something within the first hour of being awake. Your body has been fasting the whole time you've been asleep, so we need to fuel our body to get it out of that "starvation mode". If you workout within the first hour of being awake, you can eat afterwards. Either way...eat breakfast!

By doing some of the things mentioned above, you should be able to stave off plateauing or push past it. Our body is an amazing thing and adapts to change very quickly, so it's up to us to keep it on it's toes by staying one step ahead. Push yourself during boot camp, do your cardio on your off days, and make slight changes in your diet and you're setting yourself up for success! I'm very proud of all of my boot campers and I want to help everyone reach their goals, but we have to work together!

If you're not already a part of Healthy Fit Boot Camp, then go sign-up........NOW!!!

Your friend in health,

Rich Rodriguez, CFT