Most of our boot camp workouts contain some type of interval training.  Whether we are running outdoors, kickboxing or strength training, your instructors vary the level of intensity from one activity to the next causing your body to work harder than normal.

But why does interval training work so effectively to burn fat, condition the body quickly and provide an entertaining workout?

1.  Interval training forces you to use your fast twitch muscle fibers.  Usually you use those muscles when your slow twitch muscle fibers are tired which is toward the end of the workout.  Interval training allows you to get more total conditioning.

2.  Interval training stimulates your heart more.  You increase your cardiac output and your ability to use oxygen with intervals.  So not only do you work your glutes, quads and triceps, but you work the most important muscle of all during interval work - your heart!

3.  You burn calories at a faster pace with interval training.  When you increase the effort and intensity of the workout, it takes your body more energy to return to the normal state, causing you to burn more calories.

4.  Interval training if FUN!  Adding variety to your workout routine helps you to stick with it for life!  And that is our goal for you!

You’ve decided to lose weight, be more active or simply be healthier. These changes to your lifestyle will hopefully last a lifetime.   You'll have a greater chance of long-term success if you surround yourself with people who understand and support your goals. Getting your family members, roommates and friends on board sounds as easy as telling them to support you; but giving them specific ways they can help will be more beneficial for everyone.  Health and nutrition applies to everybody and it’s time for you to lead by example.

Fist, help your friends and family members understand why you've chosen this lifestyle change. Everyone needs to know your health is at stake and you will be counting on them to help. And be specific as to how people can help. Write down specific actions or expectations. If you can’t look at ice cream without indulging, write down and communicate to your family to please only eat ice cream outside the home or at least in another room.

In your home, make mealtime changes less about your weight loss goals, and more about upgrading the family to a healthier way of eating. To get your children excited and on board with the changes: talk to them about sports; nutrition; brainpower; muscles; energy; and play.  Meanwhile, talk to your spouse about increased energy, stamina and aging gracefully and healthfully.

Try to make the changes easy and fun for everyone. Coordinate more family play time, active dates with friends and significant others and involve everyone in cooking and meal planning. By involving anyone and everyone, you’ll have a better support system, more engaged people helping you and a greater chance of success. 

We all get aches and pains – shin splints, sore backs, irritating Achilles. It’s the nature of the boot camp beast when you’re pushing yourself outside your comfort zone.  But there are things you can do to prevent, or lessen those aches and pains… Prehab!

Be proactive rather than reactive when it comes to injury.  Prehab is a preemptive strike against injuries as is stimulates and strengthens the areas at highest risk of getting hurt. You may not realize it, but injuries begin long before you feel pain. Because many people tend to stick to the same set of limited motions while working out, smaller muscles and supportive joints can get overworked –leading to painful injuries. We try to avoid this in boot camp with varied workouts aimed at “muscle confusion.”  Yet we’re always running, jumping and climbing our way around the park which means certain body parts may get overworked.

According to the National Institute of Health, prehap is typically used by doctors to get a patient ready for surgery and the inactivity that may follow.  Using functional activities before surgery may help patients rebound more quickly.  Other health and fitness professionals like physical therapists and trainers use prehap to help prevent injuries large and small.  To do so, they typically focus on your body’s imbalances.  Imbalances most often occur in between the abdominal region and lower back, chest, upper back and rear shoulder, and between the thighs and hamstrings. Wonder why your hamstrings hurt so much after those kettlebell workouts – because we use our thighs so much more often when running, lunging, squatting, etc.  It’s up to you to try and even this out.

Prehab fitness programs incorporate traditional therapeutic exercises such as flexibility, range of motion and strengthening exercises. Unlike traditional programs, which work large muscle groups and use heavier weights, prehab exercise strengthens and stretches the smaller muscle groups and uses minimal resistance.

What are some prehab moves? You already know many… ab bridges help strengthen the core, superman moves help the lower back, superstars also work the core, and the pelvic lift works the glutes, abs and hamstrings.  Use your down time in front of the TV wisely – stretch and strengthen. Or try out a Yoga Class – there is one at the Brookhaven Fitness Studio on Wednesdays at 7:30pm. 

Looking for creative ways to get moving?  Grab your friends, significant other or family members and try one of the following:

1. Head over to Loca Luna on a Wednesday night for FREE Salsa lessons at 8:00 PM and a live salsa band the rest of the night.

2. Grab your bikes and head out to the Silver Comet Trail.  Don’t want to haul your wheels – rent bikes at one of the shops in Cobb, Paulding or Polk counties.

3. Get your groove on at the Brookhaven Fitness Studio’s new Hip Hop for Beginners class on Sunday at 3pm. 

4. Rent a Kayak from Chattahoochee Outfitters and get your arms ready to work! Kayak the Chattahoochee – they’ll pick you up from any number of locations and shuttle you back to the start. Or join in an organized weekend trip.

5. Sign up for a cooking class through the Cook’s Warehouse.  Look under the “Lifestyle” classes for those focused more on healthy options.

6. Sign up for the Beginner Rock Climbing Course at the Stone Summit Indoor Climbing Gym, held every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.  Learn to climb then go back regularly for a great, alternative workout.

7. Try out a new American Boot Camp Company location on Bring A Friend Day. New challenges, new instructors – whole new vibe! Head to Chastain on 2/24, Blackburn Park on 2/16, Mason Mill on 2/22 or Piedmont Park at 2/23.

If you’ve made it through a month of boot camp in 2011, WAY TO GO!  Now is the time to look back at where you started, identify what you’ve accomplished and evaluate your goals or make news ones as you move forward.

If you’re just starting out with boot camp, it’s also time for you to set some initial goals.  If you are struggling with identifying some realistic, measurable goals, talk to your instructors; they can help you come up with some great things to work towards.

As you move through the year, remember to check-in and review your progress each month.  For those things that are going well, pinpoint what you’re doing right and, if you’ve already achieved that short-term goal, create a new one building on your previous success.  If there are some resolutions that continue to elude you, examine what is going wrong, talk to your instructors and try to find out where things are lining up.  Perhaps the resolution is too broad, not measurable or simply more of a long-term goal your monthly resolutions could build up to. 

The chaos of the holidays is behind us.  If you had a difficult time giving the right attention to your goals as you brought life back into balance, it’s now time to examine your routine and figure out what’s working and what’s not.  Every day is a new opportunity to refine your schedule and make the next day better than the one before. 

Working out in a group setting, such as boot camp, can have huge benefits, even if it’s only a small part of your fitness routine. Your boot camp group can provide support, accountability and structure for your activities, as well as introduce you to other like-minded individual who you may find yourself working out with outside of camp.  Fitness friends bring camaraderie, encouragement and often provide great compliments on everything from form to results. 

In addition, boot camp and other fitness groups come with instructors who will push you beyond your comfort zone and challenge your limits.  It’s also their role to keep your routine fresh and fun, making group settings more like play, or recess, than work. In addition your instructors can provide guidance on nutrition, health, form, injuries, recovery or just serve as a good listening ear. 

Boot camp is naturally a good fitness buddy system.  If no one in your group of friends or family is up for being your fitness buddy, look towards your other campers.  If you’re looking for more group opportunities, there are dozens of online resources to help pair people together based on location, interest and/or ability.  Another great option is joining a sports team or organized activity through organizations such as Club Sport, Go Kickball, the YMCA or other area intramural options.

www.active.com: With more than 200,000 event listings, here you’ll find something for everyone, anywhere. 

www.atlantatrackclub.org:  Dedicated to inspire and engage the community to achieve health and fitness through running.

www.bigpeachrunningco.com/events/: Listings for upcoming events, and a way to submit your own events

www.phidippides.com/index.php?page=events: Races and training opportunities

www.georgiarunner.com

www.rungeorgia.com

‘Tis the season for resolutions as we all strive to be better versions of ourselves in 2011.  But resolutions are only as good as the long term goal they’re aimed at.  Before resolving to eat less, run more or train harder, set a larger goal you hope to achieve.  Then work backwards; setting short-term goals or resolutions to give you focus along the way.  It’s important to remember no journey is smooth and easy since the road to success is always under construction. 

Research shows that smaller, measurable goals are more often attained than broad resolutions.  For instance, aiming to lose a pound a week is more measurable than simply declaring you’re going to “lose weight.”  Also, be specific about the end result you hope to achieve, and the small steps you’ll take along the way.  And give yourself a realistic timeline.  Every time you accomplish a goal, create a new one; one that helps you build up to long term success. This system of reinforcement and reward has a higher success rate than just a broad resolution to make a change in your life. 

Before beginning any fitness program, it’s a good idea to know where you’re starting.  Body fat testing is a great way to get a snapshot of your current weight, amount of body fat and muscle.  The test will tell you what your optimal weight is for your size, age and gender, how much fat you have, how much muscle, and what exactly you need to gain or lose. Knowing these numbers allows you to design an exercise program to maximize your efforts.

Hydostatic testing is the most accurate way to determine your body composition.  The Fat Van is mobile testing unit that visits the Brookhaven Fitness Studio a few times a year.  The Fat Van incorporates the most current technology available and is a heated/air conditioned environment with private changing booths and trained technicians to assist you. The water is heated, filtered, and very clean. The test takes only ten minutes and, upon completion, you’ll be given a four page print out which shows you where you are, where you should be, and what it will take to get there. You will have a realistic baseline to establish your fitness goals.

The Fat Van will be at the Brookhaven Fitness Studio on Saturday, January 22, 2011. Appointments are every 15 minutes starting at 8am.  Email info@brookhavenfitness.com with the time you want to attend and we will try our best to fit you in!  Want more info on body fat testing? Go to www.bodyfattest.com

Starting a new fitness routine can be one of the best decisions you can make for your health and overall lifestyle.  If committed you can lose weight, get better sleep, reduce your risk for health problems and even increase your self-esteem.  Research shows it takes at least three weeks to form a good habit. Therefore, before getting started, realize magic isn’t going to happen overnight and, to get results, you have to pledge time and make a commitment to YOURSELF! It’s important for you to be as mentally prepared for this program as you are physically.

If you’ve decided boot camp is for you, you’ll be asked to identify your fitness goals.  Consider both short term and long term goals, your capabilities and perceived limitations.  In addition to the days at camp, you’ll also be asked to stay active outside of the scheduled workout.  Find a variety of activities you enjoy that will help prevent boredom and burnout. Keep in mind, all campers have access to the indoor studio and the many classes and activities offered.

Next you need to make sure you have the right equipment to get started.  You’ll need proper footwear and apparel.  Because boot camp involves a lot of running, consider a running/foot analysis at an area running store to ensure you have the right shoe for your foot and running style.  Also, layering is best for outdoor workouts, and breathable fabrics are a MUST.

Now you’re ready.  Get a good night sleep and get out there and get started.  Accept you’ll have setbacks but remember each and everyday presents an opportunity for a new beginning or further progress.  Track your progress, hold yourself accountable and remember to have fun.