Why Water is Crucial to Your Health

At NYC Adventure Boot camp we know that as many as seventy-five percent of Americans aren’t drinking enough water. As most of us learned in school, our bodies are made up of nearly seventy percent water, so doesn’t it seem natural that we need to stock up on this most important element? In this article, we’ll learn why staying hydrated is so important to your health, the dangers of not getting enough water, and what Stacy Papakostas suggests to incorporate drinking water into your healthy lifestyle.

At NYC Adventure Boot Camp we are big on the three C’s- COMMITMENT, CONTROL & CONSISTENCY! Make the first step and Commit and we will gladly guide you through the rest. Whatever your health and fitness concerns are, I am confident that I can help you achieve your goals! If you are interested in speaking with Stacy Papakostas, please sign up for a free consultation. We can discuss your goals and see if we are a good match. What are you waiting for?

Why we need water.
Our bodies are nearly two-thirds water; it’s in our blood, muscles, brains and even bones. This water plays a very important part of keeping our bodies healthy. It helps the body absorb nutrients and vitamins, helps digestion, detoxifies the liver and kidneys, carries away waste, helps the blood circulate, and many other important jobs. But the level of water in our bodies doesn’t stay the same; we lose water through urination, sweating, and even respiration. At NYC Adventure Boot Camp, Stacy stresses that this is why it is so important to replace the water that we’ve lost.

Dangerous dehydration
Many of us wait until we’re thirsty to start drinking water, but our bodies are dehydrated long before we have the sensation of thirst. We all need to replenish the water level of our bodies over the course of the day, and this is especially important the more active we are. If we’re not drinking enough water, we can experience signs of mild dehydration like joint, muscle, or lower back pain, headaches or constipation. Another clue that you’re not getting enough water is urine that is yellow or amber in color accompanied by a strong odor. Because water helps keep the blood flowing smoothly, the blood can actually become thicker without enough water, leaving us feeling tired. These problems can only get worse over time and can cause complications with the liver and kidneys.

How to get enough water
Stacy suggests that the best way to estimate the amount of water you should drink over the course of a day is to divide your body weight in pounds in half. This number is how many ounces of water you should be drinking in a day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should be consuming 75 ounces of water a day. You can count on about twenty percent of your water intake to come from your food, so that leaves sixty ounces of water, or around eight glasses of water a day.

We understand that it can be difficult in the beginning to get used to drinking eight glasses of water a day if you haven’t been following this rule, but you can get your water from a variety of sources. Although the caffeine in your morning coffee is a diuretic, which can leave your body feeling like it has consumed more water than it has, your body has likely compensated for this daily dose of caffeine.

Just don’t make the mistake of replacing your entire water intake with coffee! You can also get your water from fruit or vegetable juices (as long as the juice indicates that it is 100 percent natural and not loaded up with sugar!) or flavored or sports drinks, as long as you keep an eye on the extra calorie intake. You can also get in the habit of carrying a small bottle of water with you on the go.

One other note on how much water you drink – there is such a thing as drinking too much water! Never attempt to drink all of your daily water intake in one sitting, and don’t try to overcompensate when you feel you need to catch up. Drinking too much water can result in a disorder called hyponatremia, which literally means “low sodium.” This can happen when too much water is consumed, which in turn overwhelms the kidneys that can’t process the water fast enough, forcing the sodium levels to drop. This can lead to seizures and even death. If you are interested in getting healthy contact Stacy Papakostas at NYC Adventure Boot Camp at phone number 917-822-3440.

Preventing Disease

"We’ve yet to find a disease where exercise isn’t helpful,” says Miriam Nelson, P.H.D. from Tufts University. Thanks to advances in medical research, we know now that following a healthy diet and fitness routine can not only slow the effects of disease, but can also help prevent their ever developing. Exercise can help with many of the most common diseases found in America today, from diabetes to chronic illnesses. In this article, we’ll take a look at how a Manhattan fitness trainer can help you lead a healthy lifestyle and prevent disease to ensure a long and healthy life.

At NYC Adventure Boot Camp we are big on the three C’s- COMMITMENT, CONTROL & CONSISTENCY! Make the first step and Commit and we will gladly guide you through the rest. Whatever your health and fitness concerns are, we are confident that we can help you achieve your goals! If you are interested in speaking with a personal trainer, please visit our website for more information and for a free consultation. We can discuss your goals and see if we are a good match. What are you waiting for? If you prefer you can contact us by phone (212) 426-4871.

Exercising as we age
Two major health concerns as we age are heart disease and osteoporosis. Both of these diseases can greatly reduce the quality of life as we age and can even lead to death. Thanks to advances in the medical field, we know today that the risk of developing these diseases can be greatly reduced only by leading an active lifestyle and even their progress can be slowed down. Researchers have discovered that exercise helps the heart in lots of different ways. It strengthens the heart – it is a muscle, after all; increases good cholesterol, or HDL's; decreases bad cholesterol, or LDL's; helps the heart work more efficiently; the list goes on. Even better is that a Manhattan fitness trainer can help you safely and effectively workout your heart to prevent disease and improve your quality of life!

Osteoporosis affects nearly ten million Americans, of which at least eight million are women, while tens of millions of Americans are at risk to develop this disease. Literally meaning “porous bones,” osteoporosis is a disease in which the bones become brittle and easily fractured. But just like with the heart, exercise can help improve the density of the bones, making them strong and resistant to fractures. Women of all ages are encouraged to include calcium in their diets and to exercise in order to keep the bone density strong, which will help prevent the disease from even developing.

Obesity and Diabetes
In America, obesity can now be seen as an epidemic. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, an estimated 61 percent of adults in America could be classified as obese in 1999, and the numbers have only climbed since then. The worst part is that obesity can only lead to literally dozens of other health issues, not the least of which is Type II Diabetes. Today, at least 17 million Americans are suffering from diabetes, but researchers are proving that exercise as well as diet can help control this disease, not to mention help prevent it. A Manhattan fitness trainer can help you lose weight and help you improve blood sugar and cholesterol levels, reduce blood pressure and even increase insulin sensitivity.

Getting on the Right Path
Knowing that you want to improve your lifestyle in order to lead a longer, healthier life is a great first step, but many of us don’t know what to do next. Working with a Manhattan fitness trainer is a perfect option for those that want to create a balanced fitness routine to help reach their goals, whether they are to lose weight, increase bone density or make their hearts healthier. Not only will a Manhattan fitness trainer give you a full assessment and take into account any medical concerns you have at the beginning, but will be there with you every step of the way to make sure you are working out safely and efficiently towards your goal.

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.

Happy with the body you have...

Just as some people have to come to terms with the fact that they’ll always be of short stature, a lot of us also have to come to terms with the fact that we’ll never be a size zero. We all are in the same boat! Setting unrealistic goals in our fitness or diet routines can not only set us up for failure, but also a lack of self confidence and even depression. Even before starting on the path to a healthier life, it’s helpful to get focused on what you can achieve with the body you have. In this article, we’ll explore the pitfalls of comparing yourself to others, celebrity culture, and how you can get on the right track to making the most of what you have.

Here at NYC Adventure Boot Camp we are big on the three C’s- COMMITMENT, CONTROL & CONSISTENCY! Make the first step and Commit and we will gladly guide you through the rest. Whatever your health and fitness concerns are, we are confident that we can help you achieve your goals! If you are interested in speaking with a personal trainer, please sign up for a free consultation. We can discuss your goals and see if we are a good match. What are you waiting for?

Comparing Yourself to Others

It seems like it’s almost ingrained in women to compare ourselves with each other, whether it is with our friends, co-workers, or even strangers. We can always find something to admire in other women, whether it be their hair or waist size. The problem is that we don’t often take time to sit down in front of a mirror and discover what it is we like about ourselves. Sure, we know what we want to change, but when do we ever take the time to complement ourselves?

The most important thing to remember is that every body is different. Sure, there are plenty of women that are naturally thin, and others that have to fight tooth and nail to retain their size. Don’t get caught in the trap of focusing your energies on anyone’s body but your own. Manhattan fitness trainers can help motivate and support you, and most importantly, help you recognize your strength and improve your health! Nothing is more important than ones health!

Celebrity Culture

Celebrities are everywhere these days – of course we expect to see them in movies or on music channels, but now they’re on the covers of women’s magazines, starring in commercials, and don’t forget the thousands of internet pages dedicated to favorite stars. It’s hard not to admire them for what seems like a fantasy lifestyle, and on top of that, they often seem to be absolutely perfect.

Just like comparing yourself to your friends and others, comparing yourself to celebrities is a dangerous trap, and there are three reasons why. First of all, it truly takes a team to make a celebrity look good on the red carpet. Wardrobe consultants and hair and makeup assistants all work together to make the celebrity look her best. Second of all, it’s true that many celebrities work very hard to maintain their figures, but a lot more than we could ever have time for, sometimes as often as two or three hours a day. It’s a part of their job to look the best they can, so they can afford to take the time. Finally, there is a not so secret weapon that magazines use to make celebrities look their best – the air brush. This tool is used very often to manipulate pictures of celebrities for the cover of magazines to make them look perfect, when the reality is quite different. Do yourself a favor and keep these reasons in mind the next time you admire a celebrity on the cover of a magazine!

What Can You Do?

It’s all very well and good to say that we need to focus on our own bodies when setting out to achieve a fitness goal, but sometimes it’s beneficial to have a second opinion, and that’s where NYC Adventure Boot Camp can come in handy. A personal trainer can use his experience and training to do a full assessment of your body and help steer you towards a goal that will have you looking and feeling your best. Remember, our fitness trainers can help motivate and support you, and most importantly, help you recognize your strength and beauty!

Contact Stacy Papakostas at 917-822-3440 for a free consultation and visit our website for more information and upcoming camp schedules.

How Stress Influences Your Health and Fitness in Manhattan

An Expert in Health and Fitness in Manhattan Reports!

Work, money, family, the future – there are plenty of things that we stress about. It isn’t just worries or bad things happening that cause stress, but any sort of change, from getting a promotion at work to planning a wedding, that put stress on your body. Stress can come from emotional or physical changes, illness, drastic changes in the environment, and pushing your body too hard. Eventually, stress can have a negative impact on your mental and physical health. In this article, we’ll take a look at how stress can affect your health and why fitness in Manhattan is a great method to help you relieve some of that stress.

Here at NYC Adventure Boot Camp we are big on the three C’s- COMMITMENT, CONTROL & CONSISTENCY! Make the first step and Commit and we will gladly guide you through the rest. Whatever your health and fitness concerns are, we are confident that we can help you achieve your goals! If you are interested in a free consultation or just speaking with a personal trainer, please visit our website at http://www.NYCAdventureBootCamp.com We can discuss your goals and see if we are a good match. What are you waiting for?

What stress does to the body

Our bodies react to stress in a variety of ways, including fatigue, headaches or other aches and pains, insomnia and other emotional disorders like anxiety or depression. Others might experience gastrointestinal problems like ulcers, cramps or irritable bowel syndrome. Stress can also play a part in cardiovascular health, prompting high blood pressure, heart palpitations, hearts attacks or strokes.

Stress can also adversely affect women and the health of their reproductive systems. Women under stress may experience an absence of a menstrual cycle or abnormal menstrual bleeding. The hormone imbalance that stress creates escalated symptoms of fibroid tumors or endometriosis. Stress can even make getting pregnant difficult for those couples experiencing problems with infertility.

Another way that stress can affect people of both genders is that it quite frequently opens the door to illness. Too much stress can cause our immune systems to falter, making us more susceptible to catching colds or the flu. Stress can even have a negative impact on our skin, causing itchy skin, hives or rashes.

Why exercise can help

While exercise has the obvious benefits of improving overall health and helping you live longer, it can also greatly reduce the amount of stress your body is under. Fitness in Manhattan helps relax tense muscles and promotes better sleeping patterns, plus a wide range of benefits that aren’t so obvious. Exercise promotes better blood flow, including in the brain, which can help combat that feeling of having your head stuffed with cotton.

It also releases endorphins that can provide a happy, healthy feeling after a good work out. There is a lot of evidence that people that work out on a regular basis and are in good health are better able to handle the long term affects of stress. Stress will always be a part of our lives, but combating it with fitness in Manhattan can certainly help minimize the negative effects.

Get help in the fight against stress

Getting on the right path to better fitness in Manhattan can be difficult and confusing in the beginning, and you may not see the beneficial effects right away, so it’s easy to quit. Consulting an expert in health and fitness in Manhattan is a great way to get going and keep you motivated. Not only can a personal trainer assess your present health and design a work out routine to help you combat stress, but he’ll also be there every step of the way to encourage you.

Contact: Stacy Papakostas at (212) 426-4871 and visit our website for more information.
http://www.NYCAdventureBootCamp.com

The Blame Game

Whose fault is it that you are out of shape?

The big diet companies think that if they put the blame on you, then you wouldn't buy their bogus pills. So they put the blame on your cortisol levels, your modern diet (ie fast food), or your busy schedule instead of where it belongs - which is squarely on your shoulders.

Sure, you have obstacles that get in your way - your schedule, your job, your kids, the weather, your knee injury from college...but ultimately you have the body that you accept.

I'm going to repeat that so it will really sink in.

You have the body that you accept.

Embracing the blame for your current weight is not a bad thing - it's empowering. Think about it. If it really wasn't your fault, if it really was due to a long list of variables that you have zero control over, then you'd be stuck. You'd have no way to change.

The Secret Behind 'Before and After' Pictures

Allow me to pull back the curtain for you on something that the diet industry doesn't want you to know. You've seen countless before and after pictures documenting weight loss as a result of a diet product. Well, there is more involved than just the diet product, and it's the same across the board.

Look into the eyes of any person in their before picture and you'll see that they are disturbed. The body they have is no longer in sync with the body they can accept.

They changed the body that they accept.

Now look into their eyes in the after picture - see the sweet satisfaction? They now own the body that they decided they could accept. And what a great feeling that is.

Your Time To Transform

Whether you realize it or not, you already posses everything you need to transform your body, but it all starts with taking responsibility for the body that you have today. You have your current body because until this moment you've been OK with it.

Oh sure, you aren't thrilled with it, and you even talk about losing weight and getting fit, but you haven't changed what you'll accept. Here's how to transform your body in 3 steps:

Step One: Get Disturbed

You've heard it said that emotion creates motion. This is essential when it comes to losing weight. Just like those folks in the before pictures, to transform your body you must first decide that you can't live another day in the body you currently have.

It's time to get your emotions stirred up. Make a list of all the reasons that you must lose weight and get fit. Get disturbed!

Step Two: Get Focused

Without clarity it's very hard to get where you want to go. Now that you're disturbed with the body you have, it's time to decide what the body you can accept looks like.

I want you to think in concrete and specific terms. Just like the captions under those before and after pictures - "Suzy lost 25 lbs", "Janet lost 8 inches from his waist", "Jenny went from a size 18 to a size 6" .

Get a clear picture in your mind of what you'll look like in your after picture and visualize what the caption will read.

Step Three: Get Moving

The time spent between your inspiration (now) and your action determines whether you will succeed or fail. Don't allow yourself to get stuck between inspiration and action - there is always something that you ca n do right now.

Don't you agree that you'll be happier living life in a fit, healthy and attractive body, rather than the body you have today? Of course you'll be happier.

I've helped scores of clients just like you finally lose their unwanted weight.

I am here to take you from your before picture to your after picture, however, you need to bring something to the table - you need to make up your mind about what you'll accept of yourself.

What will you accept?

Please call 917-822-3440 for more information and Visit www.NYCAdventureBootCamp.com

NOW OFFERING DAY PASSES TO OUR BOOT CAMPS!
So you don't want to commit to our 4 week long program? Not a problem! Come join us for only $30 a session! Personal trainers charge anywhere from $60 to $200 an hour for a session. Get the fitness attention you've been longing for, get in shape, and meet some wonderful people at NYC Adventure Boot Camp for Women!!! Call 917.822.3440 or send an email to stacy@nycadventurebootcamp.com NO COMMITMENT NECESSARY!!! But I guarantee you will come back for more!!!

I also offer a boxing boot camp, please visit: http://www.GeminiAdventureFitness.com

Busy Woman's Fitness and Health

From the desk of Stacy Papakostas: Hi ladies, I am here with some more exciting and over the top fitness and healthy eating advice. So lets get to it!

What is a Crash Diet and Why is it Bad?
Crash diets are famous for promising unbelievable results with minimum effort in a short period of time, but what do they entail exactly? Most crash diets have a poor diet and questionable supplements in common. They usually involve drastically cutting back on the number of calories you consume during the day, and sometimes have complementary supplements which are nothing but diuretics. While practitioners may notice rapid weight loss at the beginning of such a diet, often the weight lost is nothing but water weight and if continued, will result in muscle loss as well.

When you follow an extremely low calorie diet, the first thing that happens is that your body uses up its stores of carbohydrate, also known as glycogen, as well as the water that is stored with it, in the liver and muscles. This is what prompts the weight loss in the beginning. Once these carbohydrates are used up, the body starts using proteins in the muscles for energy, which can leave you feeling tired and irritable.

Soon, the metabolism slows down, putting your body into a kind of starvation mode, because it doesn’t know when it will start receiving healthy nutrients again. Then, when you go back to your previous eating habits, you’re likely to not only put back on the weight you’ve lost, but add more pounds as well, because the metabolism is still too slow to keep up with the new intake of food.

Worst Case Scenarios
Those that put themselves of a constant cycle of crash dieting and eating poorly are doing a lot of damage to their bodies which could result in potentially life threatening illnesses. Due to their restrictive natures, crash diets could prevent you from eating healthy foods with nutrients that your body needs to function properly, such as iron, B12, potassium or sodium. These could lead to deficiencies that can cause other problems, like nerve and muscle functions and heart attacks. They also cause a great deal of problems for organs like the liver and kidneys, because without the proper nutrients, the organs can’t function properly. Finally, not getting enough calcium in the diet can lead to the development of osteoporosis, which makes bones brittle and more prone to fractures.

Eat a Balanced Diet for Better Results
If your trying for weight loss resist the temptation to follow a crash diet and look 20 for
healthier alternatives instead. Gradually change your eating habits and your proportion sizes so your metabolism won’t drop too quickly, and pair your new eating habits with a fitness routine, and you’ll be losing weight in no time. Think of your new good habits as a lifestyle change instead of a temporary diet.

You may not lose weight as quickly as a crash diet can promise, but you’ll be doing it in a much safer way and the weight is more likely to stay off.

DON'T MISS OUT! NYC ADVENTURE BOOT CAMP IS INDOORS FOR THE WINTER
& NEW WEST SIDE LOCATION ADDED!!!

Please feel free to contact me with any questions 212-426-4871 end visit my website www.nycadventurebootcamp.com

5 Signs That You're Doing it Right

Ever wonder just how effective your workout routine really is?

Maybe you saw great results when you first started to exercise, but now those results have come to a screeching halt.

Want to know why?

If the following 5 statements accurately describe your exercise routine, then fear not-you're doing it right. However, if the following 5 statements don't describe your exercise routine then listen up-there's no better time than now to rev up your routine.

1. You Make the Most of Each Move: Gone are the days when workouts lasted more than an hour and you had time to single out each muscle individually. These days time is of the essence, and compound movements deliver excellent results in less time than ever before.

Not sure if your routine includes compound movements? Any exercise that uses two or more joints is considered to be a compound movement. Squats and lunges are great examples. If you want to pack even more benefit into each move then try adding a shoulder press with your squats and a bicep curl with your lunges.

2. You Keep it Intense: Let's be honest, at one time or another you've spent time in the gym 'exercising' without ever breaking a sweat. Maybe you drifted from one machine to the next or joined an aerobics class for a few minutes, but the bottom line was that your heart wasn't into it.

Workouts that lack intensity are practically a waste of time. Your body craves a challenge, and you see the most results when you keep your intensity high. Keep your workouts concise and push yourself with each exercise.

3. You're Consistent: Anyone can have one great workout, but one workout won't translate into killer results-only consistency will do that for you. Exercise must be a part of your daily routine, plain and simple.

One of the best ways to stay consistent with your routine is to do your workout at the same time everyday. We are creatures of habit, so once your exercise schedule has been firmly set you'll find the process to be automatic, rather than an occasional afterthought.

4. You Seek a Challenge: Just like hairstyles, exercise routines quickly become outdated. That is why the best routines are dynamic, and the worst routines never change. How do you know when your routine needs to be updated?

You'll know how effective your routine is by the results, or lack there of, that you experience. If you feel that you are simply going through the motions then stop wondering about the effectiveness of your routine and start doing something new.

5. You're Having a Blast: Do you dread the very thought of going for a jog, but force yourself to do it simply because you've no other ideas for exercise? Stop right there. Exercise is an enjoyable activity, especially when you find the form that is best suited for your personal preferences.

If you don't like exercise there is a good chance that your technique needs help. I pride myself in showing my clients the fun side of exercise-yes, exercise is fun!

If your routine includes all of the above then congratulations – you are doing it right. You're consistent, you challenge yourself and you're seeing results. However, if your routine doesn't include the above, you now have the blueprints to do it right.

Want a routine that incorporates everything you need to reach your fitness goals? Call or email today to set up a consultation and I'll show you how to get amazing results in less time than you think.

Visit http://www.nycadventurebootcamp.com or call 212-426-4871.