How To Turn Back The Age Clock

This past weekend in New Jersey the weather was perfect. I spent the entire weekend outdoors. On Saturday I worked on prepping my garage for contractors to come make repairs this week. I've hired a mason who is set to fix the foundation and painters scheduled to give it a face lift. I dug a deep trench along the entire foundation on three sides a few feet down into the dirt. I had to remove a lot of rocks and small boulders to expose the foundation so the Mason can get in and repair the cracks. It is saving me a good sum of money by doing this work in advance myself.

I also replaced a bunch of siding that was beyond weathered. It was a big job, but I got it all done and I feel great about the fact that I had the strength and stamina to work this hard all day. It was a a perfect Spring day. In fact, it was the first day of Spring!

It's very gratifying to be able to do this type of work for yourself. It's difficult to put into a few sentences what took 10 hours to do. But trust me that I moved well over a ton of rocks by hand. And I had to dig each one out first!

I'm not trying to impress you with my feat of endurance. But I would like to "impress upon you" that being able to work this hard is what our bodies are meant to do.

In contrast to the human body, a car can last ten years and easily rack up 100,000 miles and it will not perform better or go faster. The more you push it and work it, the more it wears out. But the human body is a very unique machine. When you work your muscles they actually get stronger and unlike a car, the harder you push your muscles the stronger they get and the better your body performs. In addition, you can eat more and not gain weight. Muscle is king!

Pretty cool, eh?

I turned 52 this past February and I don't think of myself as being "old". I prefer to go by my "fitness age" not my biological age. "You're as young or old as you feel". True, but you are also as young or old in what you can or cannot do! So make sure you CAN DO!

My message to you is simple. You're going to get older, that's inevitable. But your muscles (and other body parts) don't have to yield to gravity. If you are willing to put up a fight by exercising strenuously on a regular basis, then you will age gracefully and maintain improved health as well as keep disease at bay.

That's one of the reasons I developed Body Basics Boot Camps. I was once a victim of circumstance. I commuted to NYC everyday and worked in a job that required me to sit on my butt all day long. I was a "weekend warrior", but it wasn't enough, and before I knew it a decade had passed and I had become a back pain sufferer and a knee pain sufferer as well. At first I accepted my fate and chalked it up to getting older, and possibly bad genetics. So I began to "avoid" activities that might hurt me. Boy, was I ever WRONG!!!

I didn't find the "fitness solution" till age 42, so I suffered for quite a few years. But even at age forty-two I began to turn the clock back. I am now 52 and I can still do pretty much the same things I did a decade ago. Can you?

I want to get a message in your head that if you can't do some things that you want to do, or that others your age can do, maybe you need to stop, figure some things out and make some changes.

I created Body Basics Boot Camps for this very reason. As a "teaching trainer" I consider movement omnipotent, and correct movement patterns to be a top priority. And if you learn how to move properly, you'll begin to get stronger, you'll feel better, and thus be able to do more. Growing older doesn't have to mean settling into doing less.

Our fitness boot camps are designed to get your body moving in dynamic ways so that your brain and muscles coordinate better. By activating more muscle you also fire up your metabolism which is your body's fat burning furnace of sorts.

Most of the time I talk about fat burning and weight loss as that is what people want to know more about. But lets not dismiss the fact that getting older is a factor too. BTW, I'm not so arrogant as to deny the aging process. But I am determined enough to be an advocate for mobility and being as active as I can for as long as I can. I don't know about you, but I want to die young...at a VERY OLD AGE!

Press on!

P.S. We are a week away for our Spring Boot Camp Season. I would like nothing more than to see more of you (get out of your own way and) come to boot camp classes! See below for the updated schedule of classes and events for April 2010.

Avoid These 5 Fitness Mistakes

It's hard for me to go to the gym sometimes. It's upsetting to me that every time I go, I see people making fitness mistakes. Ultimately these mistakes become habits that waste time, put people in danger, and that are sometimes, well, in a word--stupid. Maybe you even make a few of these mistakes yourself.

By avoiding these common pitfalls, you'll put yourself on the fast track to results. Check out the following 5 fitness mistakes and the solutions you need to avoid danger and to get fit fast.

Mistake #1: Using the wrong weight

The goal is to challenge your muscles, not to simply go through the motions. If you are able to complete 15 repetitions easily, then the weight is too light. On the flip side, if you aren't able to perform an exercise through its full range of motion, and find yourself cheating on form, then the weight is too heavy.

The correct weights will feel challenging by your last few repetitions, but won't force you to sacrifice form.

Mistake #2: Monkeying around with the same boring routine

You may have noticed that most people do the same exercises each time they visit the gym. Maybe you've been doing the same exercise routine as long as you can remember - if it isn't broken then don't fix it, right?

The truth is that exercise routines have expiration dates, and that is the date that they begin to lose their effectiveness. As a rule of thumb never use the same routine for more than 4 weeks.

Mistake #3: Skipping the warmup

Most people consider warm up time to be wasted time - they'd rather jump right into the heart of the routine. What they don't realize is that a good warm up will them to perform at a higher intensity, which means greater results.

The point of a warm up is to increase your muscle temperature. This increases blood flow, muscle contraction and reduces muscle resistance. Your warm up should last 5-10 minutes.

Mistake #4: Improper or bad form

Gyms are filled with people performing exercises with bad form. The two biggest reasons are that they aren't concentrating on the exercise, or they're trying to lift weight that is too heavy. Lifting with improper form too often results in injury.

Take the time to achieve proper form, by doing so you'll avoid injury and will reap the full benefit from each exercise.

Mistake #5: Working out by yourself

People who exercise alone are less challenged, less accountable and typically see fewer results. It makes sense, doesn't it? Why rush to the gym if no one is there waiting for you? Why push yourself if no one is watching? Exercising alone is a recipe for lackluster results.

Not sure where to begin?

The best way to avoid injury and to see results is to work with me, "your trusted source on fitness". I am passionate about seeing my clients achieve results -without wasting time, energy and effort on mistakes.

Call or email today me to schedule a free boot camp trial class. Or, if you want a more personalized program, contact me about one-on-one personal training or my small group training program called "Life Plan".

You'll find my contact info on the boot camp website.
http://bodybasicsbootcamps.com

Committed to your fitness success!

Should You Stay Or Should You Go?

One of my favorite bands from the 80's is The Clash. They had a slew of great songs and one was titled, "Should I Stay Or Should I Go?" The song is about a personal relationship, but the title makes me think of many of you who joined our MeetUp.com "Burn the Fat Hiking Group."

I have to admit that I am deeply disappointed that too many peoeple have joined this group and have never been on a hike, not one hike! Hmmmm. But many of our blog readers live all over the world and couldn't come on a hike if they wanted to. So for everyone else think of the hikes as anything you feel that you want to do to improve your health but don't seem to get to, like going to the gym, eating healthier meals, etc.

What's that you say? You have a good reason why.

Maybe so. Do any of these "excuses" resonate with you?

- The hikes are too early in the morning (8:30am)
- I have to work
- I have church at the same time
- My kids have sports
- I live too far away
- Larry, it's Sunday morning for cryin' out loud!
- My pillow wouldn't let me go
- I stay out too late on Saturday nights

I hope these make you chuckle. But then again the truth is that you really just don't value our hikes as something that is important to you. I get that. I just want to make sure that you get that too. Stop pretending that "someday" is going to come and that you will eventually come join us. When you state things in the "future" they tend to always stay in the future, and the futre never arrives.

Be honest. If you can't attend a hike, why join in the first place? Well there's a reason for that too. The reason is because joining makes you feel like you at least made the effort. We all have two things in common. One is our intentions. The other is our actions. So joining a gym or a hiking group means you have good intentions, but actually going is a whole other story.

Let me appeal to your emotional side for a moment. Do any of the following situations fit your life.

- I'm at least 15 lbs over-fat
- I lack energy throughout the day
- I drink 3-4 cups of coffee in the morning to "get going"
- I generally skip breakfast
- I lack motivation
- I'm afraid to start
- I don't know where to begin
- I'll just go back to Weight Watchers...AGAIN?
- I know what to do, I just have to start doing it.
- I work out 3-4 times a week, but I can't lose fat.
- I think I eat healthy?

I could come up with many more, but I think you get my point. Many of us are stuck, but not in what we're doing so much as in what we are "thinking". If you are over fat, it's because of what you are "doing". What you are "doing" is determined by what you are "thinking". You just need to change the way you think. Knowledge is power and applied knowledge is off the hook!

That's what you'll get at a hike. You'll get the information, the motivation, the inspiration, and you'll burn some fat on day one! Get out of your own head. Stop making excuses (okay you call them reasons) but in the end they are excuses. Change your values and make your health a higher priority.

Larry, how can I make my health a higher priority than my kids?

That's a tough one. But if you were stricken with a life threatening disease like CANCER, you'd have to prioritize your health over everything else. I'm just giving you the idea that if you continue on a path of poor habits, one day you may not have a choice.

So choose health now and realize that you ARE actually giving your family a healthier and happier YOU! That's the most loving thing you can do!

So in answer to the question, "Should You Stay or Should You Go?"

The answer is two-fold. YOU SHOULD STAY (in this group) AND GO, (on a hike that is!)

I'll see you on the trails!

Trick or Treat? Your Body Will Follow Your Brain

Hi Boot Campers!

First things first. Saturday Morning Boot Camp is Moving: Time and Location Change. Please go to the Meetup site and review the changes that are coming. We're going indoors and starting at 8am at Warren Health & Racquet Club. Beginning on November 14th.

http://www.meetup.com/Body-Basics-Fat-Blasting-Boot-Camp/
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Happy Halloween!

Sure is a dreary and rainy day, and not good for Trick or Treaters. Although the truly determined will done their costumes and go for the bounty! Think about that. It's worth reoeating. The "truly determined" will get their candy today. Maybe not little kids, but 5th, 6th, and 7th graders will get out if they possibly can.

When you think about it, the amount of will and determination one has for trick or treating in the rain is very similar to what one needs to get in great physical shape. Either way you've got to be willing to put up with obstacles, be it the weather, a challenging schedule, or anything else that causes your brain to send you a message that gives you permission to not follow through.

Attitude is everything!

The secret to having a great attitude is having strong reasons why you want or need something. A Halloween trick or treater sees the sack full of candy as the grand prize. When we were kids, my brother and I would walk further and longer than any other time of the year, going from house to house in pursuit of chocolate bars and other delicacies. Yumm! We would start right after school, go home for a quick supper and head right back out after.

The only difference between being grown up and being a kid is that we often lose sight of our passions. With so many responsibilities on our shoulders it becomes difficult to get your motor revved up to go out and do something that requires physical energy. Halloween is also special because it's only one day of the year. Keep in mind that to get in great shape, you'd have to keep that same energy going day in and day out. You have to want great health and a great body as much as my brother and I wanted to see our pillow cases become full of candy!

So where do you find your reasons? In other words, what is it that will help you have that passion? The answer may surprise you. It's your pain. By pain, I mean your emotional pain. Perhaps a better word would be "disturbed". Every day we do things that put us on a potential collision course with being upset about our bodies.

If you step on a bathroom scale in the morning and you
don't like the number you see...Whammo!

If you look in the mirror at yourself just before
you get in or out of the shower and you

don't like what you see...Whammo!

If you get dressed and nothing fits the
way you want it to...Whammo!

There's three opportunities to feel really bad about yourself. What's really "disturbing" is that all three scenarios can occur in the morning back-to-back before you've had breakfast. In fact, you might feel so crappy about yourself, instead of eating a healthy breakfast you just say "screw it" and head for Dunkin Donuts!

It's time to change all of that. It's time to reverse the downward spiral and find your "passion" once again. Make your enemy your friend. Your enemy is the way you feel about yourself.

Get good and mad about the number on the bathroom scale.

Get good and fired up about the naked body you see in the mirror.

Get good and fed up with the way your clothes (don't) fit.

AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

FoodRenegade.com

Stop the old cycle and start a new positive cycle. Remember the passion you had as kid on Halloween, Christmas morning, or when you got a new bike? You still have that passion, you just have to let it out. SO LET IT OUT! The kid in you is alive and well and wants to run and play. It's the tired and frustrated adult in you that is making all the excuses. Find your passion once again and begin to change your life.

My passion is helping people get fit. If I can help you, it would be my pleasure. Please visit one of my websites and see if there's a way I can help you feel and look your best.

Committed to your fitness success,
Larry Wasserman

bodybasicsbootcamps.com
imtiredofbeingfat.com
healthyfitkids.com
bodybasics.blogspot.com