Finish What You Started – Cut the Fat for Good

There’s no question about it – making the commitment to work out is no easy task. Not only is it hard getting your new fitness program off the ground, but you’re sure to encounter pitfalls along the way. Don’t beat yourself up or quit when you meet an obstacle, jump over it! Staying motivated is the best way to ensure that you’ll meet your fitness goals. In this article, we’ll explore how you can stay motivated in all stages of your fitness journey.

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! We can discuss your goals and see if we are a good match. What are you waiting for?

In the beginning

You may start off your fitness program with plenty of enthusiasm, but many of us start finding excuses to miss an exercise session or two as early as two weeks in. You’re sore and tired and you’d rather just stay at home. Of course you’re sore! You’re using muscles that haven’t been used in quite a long time, it’s perfectly normal. Make sure your body gets plenty of rest, but don’t fall for this well worn excuse. If imagining how amazing you’ll look and feel when you reach your goal seems too far out of your grasp at this point, give yourself a short term goal.

For example, create a goal that says that after six weeks of constant exercise, you’ll finally treat yourself to that luxury item you’ve had your eye on. Once you reach the first six weeks, make a new goal and work towards that. The time it takes to reach your final goal will be different for everyone and doesn’t have a definitive date, so create a solid goal that you can reach in the short term. Stay motivated so that you can stay on track and not only reach your short term goals, but your lifetime goal of being fit and healthy!

Pitfalls in the middle

The most common pitfall most of us will face on the path to our goal is a fitness plateau. All of a sudden, the numbers on the scale, the measurement of your thighs, or the amount of weight you can lift all stays magically the same, well before you’ve reached your goal. Does this mean that you’ve done as much as your body can handle? No way! Our bodies are incredible machines and will work hard to achieve their maximum capacity at whatever task we give them, but eventually the body will become so efficient that it no longer needs to use as much energy or burn as many calories to perform the task at hand.

This usually happens when you do the same exercises over and over again, so the solution may be as simple as changing the intensity of the exercise or the exercise itself. We can help you make the necessary changes to push through the plateau and continue on your way.

Those last five pounds

It’s true; the less fat you have to lose, the harder it is to get rid of it. Those infamous last five pounds can be a killer to push through, but think of how excited you’ll be to know you pushed through and stuck to your commitment from the beginning until the very end. If you’re having trouble getting past those last five pounds, consider consulting a fitness trainer, who is helpful during all stages of reaching your fitness goals. A fitness trainer can help design a fitness plan for you from the beginning, give you ideas or pushing through your plateaus, and keep you motivated all the way to the end, when you’ve reached your goal.

If you are in New York City and interested in joining an all women boot camp or fitness boxing classes please visit NYC ADVENTURE BOOT CAMP, mention that you found us through our blog for and extra 15% off a membership. Come work out like a GIRL!!!

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Weight Loss – The Healthy Approach

When many of us are in pursuit of losing weight, 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 complementary exercise regime can result in losing important muscle, which can have more dangerous effects in the long run. In this article, we’ll 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 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 the 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 that work side by side to help you achieve the perfect balance of health and weight loss. 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 with a skinfold 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 and fitness program.

If you are in New York City and interested in joining an all women boot camp please visit NYC ADVENTURE BOOT CAMP, mention that you found us through our blog for and extra 15% off a membership. Come work out like a GIRL!!!

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How to Get and Keep Healthy Skin

Not only is our skin the largest organ of our bodies but it also plays an important role in our appearance. Our skin is typically the first thing that other people notice about us. Moreover, our skin plays a vital role in our health, protecting our bodies and inner organs from harmful substances and injury. For some of us, however, our skin is often ignored when it comes to taking care of ourselves. Here are some ways to take care of your skin no matter your age:

• Diet and Exercise – It should be no surprise that diet and exercise have a profound impact on how your skin looks and feels. Exercise increases the circulation of blood and nutrients to your skin. Furthermore, diet plays an important role. For healthy skin, make sure you are getting plenty of foods with vitamin A like carrots and low-fat yogurt. Foods high in antioxidants, like berries, are critical as well. Selenium and essential fatty acids found in foods like walnuts, turkey, tuna, and flax seed are good for the skin, too.
• Stay Hydrated – Getting enough water to stay hydrated every day, about eight glasses, goes a long way towards keeping your skin young and looking great.
• Take Time to Relax – High levels of stress can produce all kinds of problems for your skin. When you are stressed out, your body releases cortisol, which could lead to breakouts of pimples. Control your stress by taking time to relax. You might even consider meditation, as some studies have shown that it helps clear up troublesome skin conditions.
• Keep Your Skin Protected – No matter what time of the year it is, be sure to use sunscreen and reapply it often when outside. Sunscreen can keep you from developing skin cancer and other issues as you age.
• Use a Simple Skin Care Regimen – Instead of buying bags full of skin products, the only ones you really need are a cleanser, moisturizer, and a retinoid. Retinoids improve the production of collagen and reduce the appearance of brown spots and fine lines.

If you are in New York City and interested in joining an all woman’s boot camp please visit  NYC ADVENTURE BOOT CAMP, mention that you found us through our blog for and extra 15% off a membership. Come work out like a GIRL!!!

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Staying Active in the Winter

As the seasons change and those of us in the northern hemisphere start to experience wet, cold weather, it can be more and more difficult to stay active. When the days start getting shorter and the weather grows increasingly colder, it is not easy to get outside in order to exercise or enjoy fun recreational activities. Furthermore, our bodies tend to slow down and we have the propensity to consume more calories during the winter in order to stay warm. This lack of exercise and the abundance of food during the holidays typically lead to weight gain and unhealthy habits.

In order to fight the wintertime bulge and overeating during the holidays, it is critical to stay active. Even though it is difficult to get outside for physical activities, here are some ways to get enough exercise during those bleak winter months:

• Try Different Winter Sports – The winter offers all sorts of opportunities to get outside, even though it is cold. Recreational activities like downhill skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, ice skating, and snowshoeing are all great aerobic activities that burn lots of calories. The key is too not overdo it when you head back to the lodge for something warm to eat and drink.
• Head Inside to the Gym – Gym membership typically increases in the winter months because people are trying to stay active. Joining a nearby gym or club will give you an option for indoor workouts whether it is the cardio machines or weight lifting. Many gyms also have pools so that you can swim indoors in the winter.
• Join a Class – Many gyms or clubs also have group exercise classes like fitness boot camp, yoga, Pilates, strength training, cycling, and water aerobics. If your gym does not offer group exercise, many independent instructors offer their own classes in the area. The key is to find physical activities you enjoy and stick with it, even though it is harder to do so in the winter.

Besides the physical benefits, staying active in the snowy months can also help with beating the winter blues. So this winter stay motivated to get out and be active!

If you are in New York City and interested in joining an all woman’s boot camp please visit  NYC ADVENTURE BOOT CAMP, mention that you found us through our blog for and extra 15% off a membership. Come work out like a GIRL!!!

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Ways to Beat the Flu This Season

With the changing of the seasons, it is time to start thinking about another season coming our way: flu season. This time of year usually sees an increase in the number of cases of the flu as well as other illnesses like the common cold, strep throat, sinus infections, even pneumonia or bronchitis. The flu season typically peaks in January and February. The bad news is that the flu virus is easily spread from one person to another. Most people come in contact with the flu virus when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or even talks and spread the germs around.

The good news is that just by taking a few simple measures you can keep yourself healthy and hopefully avoid catching the flu this season. Here are some tips:

• Take Care of Yourself – When you eat properly, get regular exercise, and get enough sleep at night, your body’s immune system is able to function properly to fight off germs that can make you ill. When you don’t take care of yourself, the capacity of the immune system is markedly diminished and you find that you get sick more often. Ensure that your immune system can work by taking care of yourself and find ways to manage stress.
• Wash Your Hands Regularly – Washing your hands is one of the best ways to avoid sickness and spreading it to others. You should wash your hands before and after preparing food, before eating, after using the toilet, after touching animals, and so on. If you are in a situation where you are unable to wash your hands, using hand sanitizer is highly recommended, although not as effective as soap and water.
• Avoid Contact with People Who are Sick – Although it may not be always possible, it is a good idea to avoid people who are sick with the flu or cold until their symptoms subside. The flu and other illnesses are spread the most easily through contact with people around you. If you do come down with symptoms of the flu, be sure to stay home from work or school until you are feeling better.

If you are in New York City and interested in joining an all woman’s boot camp please visit  NYC ADVENTURE BOOT CAMP, mention that you found us through our blog for and extra 15% off a membership. Come work out like a GIRL!!!

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