Tuesday, April 28, 2009

The Top 5 Side Effects of Exercise


Your doctor feels like a broken record.

That's right - he's sick and tired of telling you how important exercise is to your health because YOU DON'T LISTEN.

He's sick of explaining how so many of your health problems will improve or even disappear as the result of=2 0a consistent exercise program.

He's tired of tallying your controllable risk factors which include physical inactivity and obesity.

So why does he continue to give you the same lecture?

Because he's seen exercise change lives.

He's even seen exercise save lives.

A Doctor's Perspective

Dr. David Shilling MD has been a family doctor for over 30 years. In that time he's given a fair number of patients the exercise lecture...with good cause.
He's seen firsthand the healing power of exercise.

Exactly what kind of healing? Dr. Shilling shared the top 5 benefits that he's seen patients experience as a result of exercise...

1. Feel Great: The first thing that patients tell Dr. Shilling after starting an exercise program is how much better they feel. “People don't realize how bad they feel. They get used to feeling bad. Then when they start exercising they feel so much better.”

Your energy levels boost and you feel great.

2. Pain Be Gone: Next patients notice a reduction in aches and pains. Chronic muscle and joint pain that they've lived with for years begins to fade. For some, joint replacement surgery is postponed. For others, arthritis pain is reduced.

Your muscles and joints feel better than ever.

3. Goodbye Coronary Heart Disease: While patients can't feel this healing benefit of exercise, it is the one that saves lives. Exercise removes two of the major risk factors that lead to heart disease: 1) physical inactivity and 2) obesity. Exercise also increases your good cholesterol (HDL) and lowers your blood pressure.

Your risk of heart attack or stroke is reduced.

4. Goodbye Type 2 Diabetes: Patients with type 2 diabetes gain substantial benefits from exercise. Exercise improves the body's use of insulin, and the related weight loss improves insulin sensitivity. Of course patients with type 2 diabetes need to get guidelines from their doctor before starting an exercise program.

Your blood sugar levels are better controlled.

5. Goodbye Sleep Apnea: Patients with sleep apnea are often caught in a destructive cycle. Their weight promotes occurrences of apnea then inadequate sleep promotes weight gain. Dr. Shilling has seen exercise break this cycle.

Your sleep becomes restful and weight loss becomes easier.

With all of these benefits it's hard to see why anyone would avoid exercise. What's your excuse?
  • I know you're tired...exercise gives you energy.
  • I know you're in pain...exercise alleviates your muscle and joint pain.
  • I know you'd rather stay in bed...exercise makes your sleep more restful.
  • I know you're pressed for time...exercise improves your efficiency and extends your life.
  • I know you don't know where to start...that's where I come in.
Reply to this email or call me at 917-822-3440 and we'll schedule a consultation where I can show you the fastest and safest way to reap all of the benefits of exercise.

Then the next time you see your doctor he won't give you a lecture.

He'll congratulate you.
Visit : www.nycadventurebootcamp.com

Monday, April 20, 2009

Your Most Neglected Body Part


I can't figure out why, but people universally neglect to train their legs. It's a funny thing, since proper leg training will dramatically deliver total body results.

Walk into any gym and you'll see the bench press taken, the dumbbells being curled-and an empty squat rack in the corner.

Leg exercises are tough, I won't deny that, but the benefits are more than worth the exertion.

A Case for Your Legs

Your legs are a major muscle group, so it's no surprise that training them will get you big time results. Training your legs will... Melt fat from your body.

As I mentioned above, leg exercises are tough. Your legs are a large part of your body, so each exercise literally moves your whole body. This is precisely why a good leg workout will fire up your metabolism to melt fat away. You'll burn more calories while exercising your legs than any other body part. Due to the intense nature of a leg workout, your metabolism becomes elevated for more than 24 hours. That means that for an entire day your body continues to burn extra calories without any extra effort on your part. Who wouldn't love that?

Build strength for everyday life. How often do you use your legs? Most of us depend on our legs constantly throughout the day-so wouldn't it make sense to strengthen our individual mode of transportation? Kind of like putting a super charger on the engine of your car.

Exercising your legs isn't only about increased strength; you'll also improve your coordination and balance. This means that you'll be able to do and experience things that you otherwise would have missed. You only live once, right? Uncover natural muscle shape. Let's be honest, toned legs are attractive. I'm not saying that you're legs will bulge with muscles (unless we trained you for that), but I am saying that consistently training your legs will uncover your natural toned shape.

Many of my clients discover a whole new level of confidence after getting their legs back into shape. Women especially enjoy the freedom to wear shorts or a skirt without feeling embarrassed to show their legs. Wouldn't you love that freedom?

Oh, and I should tell you that as you strengthen your legs you'll also reduce the risk of injury to your lower back because you'll actually learn to pick things up off the ground the right way.

Best Leg Exercises
Now that I've convinced you to pay more attention to your legs, here are three of the top exercises you should do. Each of these exercises have dozens of different variations, so have fun and always keep your workouts fresh and challenging.

The Lunge: Start with your feet together, take a large step forward and bend your knees down into a lunge position. Exhale as you press yourself back up to a standing position, or continue through with your step into another lunge.

The Squat: Start with your feet shoulder width apart, inhale as you bend your knees, keeping your back straight. Be sure to keep your knees from going past your toes. Exhale as you push back up to a standing position.

The Dead Lift: Grip the barbell with a mixed grip (one palm faces you, one doesn't). Allow the barbell to hang down in front of you as you stand on the platform with your feet shoulder width apart. Lean forward at your waist, keeping your back flat, and bend your knees, bringing the bar down past them. Exhale as you straighten your legs and lift the bar up. When you are standing upright lean back slightly and squeeze the muscles of your lower back. Hold this contraction for a moment. Inhale and slowly return back down to the starting position.

By no stretch of the imagination are these three the ONLY leg exercises out available. And that's the other great thing about training your legs... you have tons of options and variations.
Want to know more about leg exercises and which ones are the best for you? Are you finally ready to get into the best shape of your life? Let me help.

Call: 917-822-2440 to inquire about getting in shape with Boot Camp or Fitness Boxing.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

FITNESS Grocery Shopping


Did you know that the grocery store is the source for most of your unwanted pounds?


Well, that and the fast food restaurants, but we'll leave that for another day. If you're like most people then your shopping trips aren't exactly organized. In fact, your grocery cart is likely to be more fat than fit.


The good news is that with a few small modifications to your routine you'll be able to turn your grocery shopping trip into an easy opportunity to slim down. I've broken down the process of healthy grocery store navigation with an easy-to-remember acronym - FITNESS.


Come, take a walk with me through your grocery store and we'll improve your shape and the shape of your family members.


F: First Veggies Your mom always told you that you had to eat your veggies before dessert-so this will be an easy one to remember. When you start shopping, first go to the produce section. The bulk of your shopping should take place here. Fresh vegetables, lettuce for salads, and fruits are the best things to eat when you want to look and feel great. Don't skimp on produce-aim to fill most of your cart here.


I: Is it Wheat? When it comes to bread you only need to ask yourself one question. Is it wheat? White bread products have been processed and filled with simple carbohydrates – these will easily stick to your body as fat. Wheat breads, on the other hand, contain more fiber and are much healthier. Make it a policy to never purchase white bread, wheat bread is the right choice even for the little members of your family. Always choose hearty wheat bread products-the more whole grain, the better.


T: Trim the Fat. In the meat section you are faced with a major decision. Do you go with your taste buds or do you go with your health conscious side? I urge you to stick with the latter. These days lean meats are more available than ever, and the benefits to going lean are numerous. When you choose lean meats you avoid extra saturated fat (your heart will thank you for this) and you also avoid the extra calories that come packed into each fat gram. Want to be lean? Then eat lean meats.


N: Never enter the Junk Food Aisle. Have a simple policy that has saved me from thousands of unnecessary calories. I don't walk down the junk food aisle. You and I both know that it is nearly impossible to walk past rows of chips, candies and cookies without putting something into the cart. The bright package is stamped with mouthwatering images will give your will power a run for its money. My two cents? Avoid that row altogether and save yourself from the whole ordeal. Nothing good ever came from walking down the junk food aisle-just say no.


E: Edge around the store. Here's a really easy trick for healthy shopping. Edge around the store, as in shop the perimeter and avoid the inner aisles. Think about it-the healthiest products are kept around the perimeter of the store: produce, meat, dairy. The inner aisles are where you run into trouble: processed food, baked goods, and sweets. Don't get me wrong, there are healthy products kept in the inner aisles too, but a majority of the items are waist-expander's.
Shop in a circle-stick to the perimeter of the store, do less shopping in the aisles.


S: Skinny Cow. The dairy section is filled with many healthy items; it is also filled with extremely high fat items. Your job is to pick out all those calcium-rich foods that you love in the low fat and non fat versions. I realize that many people have a prejudice against low milk or yogurt, simply because they've always eaten the full fat version. Making the switch to low fat is such a simple way to cut unnecessary fat and calories from your diet, while still getting all the benefits of dairy. Fat free dairy products are the way to go-you'll only lose unwanted pounds.


S: Stick with Water. Warning: mini lecture to follow. I'll make it short and sweet. Drink more water-period. Sodas, sugary juices and calorie-laden alcoholic beverages are responsible for a large number of unnecessary calories in your diet. Don't fill your cart with these sneaky calories. Keep them out of your kitchen and out of your life. Looking for a tasty beverage? Look no farther than crystal clear water.


There you have it-your FITNESS shopping plan that will take your cart from fat to fit. I suggest that you write down the FITNESS steps on a note card and take it to the store with you. Are you ready to take your body from fat to fit? I've got what it takes to get you there! No guess work, no fad diets, and no super long workouts.


Call 917-822-3440 or visit NYC Adventure Boot Camp today to learn more about my fitness and fat loss programs that will quickly change your life. Want to upgrade your FITNESS shopping trips? Here are 3 additional tips:


Don't go to the grocery store with an empty stomach. Your cart will mysteriously fill with extra, unnecessary foods that will end up crashing your good intentions.


Make a list before you go to the store. You'll be able to think rationally at home before you're surrounded by tasty, FITNESS destroying foods.


Plan out your meals for the week ahead of time, then shop specifically for those items. This will cut out the junk, and save you calories and money.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Weight Loss versus Fat Loss


When many of us are in pursuit of losing weight as a health and fitness goal, we often rely solely on the numbers of the scale to tell us how we are doing. Unfortunately, this is not always a healthy measure of success. Losing weight without a exercise regime can result in losing important muscle, which can have more dangerous effects in the long run. We will take a closer look at weight loss vs. fat loss, and what you can do to ensure that you’re losing weight in a healthy and safe way to make sure that you reach your Manhattan health and fitness goals.

Weight Loss Doesn’t Mean Fat Loss

When most of us say that we want to lose weight, what we really mean is that we want to reduce to amount of fat in our bodies to create a leaner silhouette. Most of us know that the fundamental principle of losing weight is that if we burn more calories than we consume, the result will be weight loss. But where is this weight coming from? Let’s take a closer look at how our bodies process the calories that we consume.

First, the body converts what we eat into energy, which in turn gives us the power to go about our daily lives. When we consume more calories than we burn, the resulting calories are converted into fat. On the other end of the scale, when we consume less calories than we burn, we lose weight but we also lose energy. Unfortunately, the weight loss doesn’t necessarily come from the fat, but the energy stores that are depleted are made up proteins and carbohydrates, which are found in muscles. This means that the muscles get smaller, the metabolism lowers, and once the body has adapted to the lower energy levels, the body will cease to continue losing weight.

The bottom line is that simply decreasing the amount of calories consumed may result in short term weight loss, but the weight won’t necessarily come from fat. Plus, if the calories are restricted too much, the body could even start storing fat as a preventative measure, because it doesn’t know when it will start receiving normal levels of calories again.

Getting Rid of Fat Instead of Muscle

So what’s the right procedure to get rid of the unwanted fat? The answer is simple – begin a nutrition and exercise program with NYC Adventure Boot Camp or Gemini Adventure Fitness. Your body still needs enough calories to keep your energy levels high, but you can eat a great deal more and keep your appetite satisfied with a healthy, balanced diet than you can with a diet full of junk or fast food. The other important factor is a balanced fitness routine comprising of both cardio and strength training. Both cardio and strength training are important for burning away fat and increasing muscle mass, not to mention increasing the metabolism.

Measure Your Body Fat

There are several ways of measuring your body fat, which is often a better gauge of your overall health than a scale. Calculate your Body Mass Index or have one of our health and fitness specialist calculate your body fat with a skin fold caliper or simply measure yourself with a tape measure and keep track of the results. The best way to gauge your body fat is to simply look in the mirror, take note of how your clothes fit, and most importantly, how you feel. Feeling great is really the best result of following a health and fitness program.

Call Stacy Papakostas at 917-822-3440 for a free consultation.