Coulee Region Bootcamps

I recently had a conversation with a guy named Jerry about John Deere garden tractors.  The short version is John Deere started making garden tractors (smaller than regular tractors, but larger than lawn tractors) in the 1960’s.  They were overdesigned and could handle anything.  They were also higher priced than most of the competitors.  In the 1980’s John Deere realized many of the competition were selling smaller and much cheaper models.  So John Deere developed a cheaper version to compete in that market.

Jerry said there is now a big market for the old garden tractors.  Thousands of people go to shows to buy, sell and trade parts and/or whole tractors so they can keep using tractors made 30-40 years ago.

So what you may ask.  What does that have to do with fitness & weight loss?  Well people always want things for as cheap as they can get them.  And they have every right to.  In fact I am the same way. 

Sometimes though, we get so focused on  getting a cheap price we forget about quality.

The cheapest food is not always the best for us. Organic produce and grass fed meats are more expensive, but they are much higher quality than conventional produce and meats.

The same can be said of fitness programs.  There are gyms that offer monthly memberships for $30.  But there is no one to motivate and encourage you.  No accountability.  No one to care for you.  Do you want to spend $30 a month for minimal results?

Now I am not saying to start buying the most expensive items you can.  NO WAY!  Many of those are not worth it.

I am saying look for value.  What gives you the most bang for your buck. 

I know you are not going to find value with those magic weight loss pills or gadgets that promise 6-pack abs in 8 minutes a day.

When you become member of Coulee Region Boot Camps, you get energetic, fast paced workouts, social support, nutritional guidelines and meal plans.  And I promise to work tirelessly to help you achieve your goals. 

The old John Deere garden tractors may not be the cleanest or most attractive tractors out there.  They may not have all the fancy gadgets modern tractors have today.  But they are a workhorse.  They get the job done and get it done for decades.  New tractors don’t last that long, but they are cheaper and have radios and all the bells and whistles.

But is that what you paid for? Bells and whistles?  Or results?

So here’s my question to you.

Are you getting the most value for your hard earned $$?

It’s about that time of year again, when that big old bird comes out of the oven for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving dinner is usually associated with sinful excess and horrible holiday weight gain. Now you can blame stuffing, mashed potatoes with loads of butter and gravy, and pumpkin pie for that, but please don’t badmouth the turkey! After all, turkey is loaded with lean protein that simultaneously elevates metabolism and promotes fat burning and lean muscle growth. It is also a lean protein, meaning there is very little fat in it, as long as you remove the skin.

 

Protein is the sole macronutrient responsible for building and repairing your body’s tissue stores (fat and carbs simply provide energy). More specifically, regular protein intake is vital in accelerating the repair of muscle damage from high-intensity activities like strength training and cardio interval training. In addition, adequate protein intake every two to four hours is essential in maintaining your current levels of lean muscle mass. This is important because the more muscle you have the larger your metabolic engine, thus the more calories (and fat) you burn on a daily basis since muscle tissue requires lot of energy to sustain itself. Protein is also the least likely macronutrient to be stored as body fat and the mere act of digesting protein requires more than double the energy to digest than carbohydrate and dietary fat. So, if there is any food choice that you can truly get away with overeating this holiday season, it will be turkey.

 

Another benefit to eating turkey is that it is easy to prepare in bulk and will save you much needed time in meal planning and preparation during the busy holiday season as well as be easy on the wallet. You can roast a big old turkey and then have tons of meal options for days. Just think of what you can do with all those awesome Thanksgiving leftovers! To inspire your turkey consumption efforts we’ve put together some awesome better body recipes that you can create with turkey as your lean protein foundation. Enjoy!

 

Turkey Salad

 

Ingredients:

 

- 6-8 oz. Turkey Breast chopped into small cubes

- 1⁄4 red bell pepper

- 1⁄4 green bell pepper

- 1⁄4 red onion

- 2 Tbsp canola or olive oil mayo

 

Directions:

 

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy over a bed of greens.

 

Makes one male serving and two female servings.

 

 

Turkey Cranberry Cream Cheese Roll-up

 

Ingredients:

 

- 6-8 oz. Sliced Turkey

- 1 Tbsp Fat Free Cream Cheese

- 1 Tbsp Dried Cranberries 1⁄2 Clove of Roasted Garlic Salt and Pepper to taste

- 2 Whole Grain Tortillas

 

Directions:

 

Soak cranberries in water for 20 minutes or microwave until soft if you are short on time. Mash the 1⁄2 clove of garlic. Mix cranberries, garlic, and cream cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread the mixture into the inside of the tortilla(s). Add turkey breast. Fold up sides, roll up, and enjoy!

 

Makes one male serving and two female servings.

 

 

Turkey Medallions With Cranberry Glaze

 

Turkey Medallions:

- 6-8 oz. Turkey

- Non-stick spray Turkey Seasoning

 

Cut Turkey Breasts into small medallions, sprinkle lightly with seasoning. Reheat in a pan sprayed with non-stick oil on medium heat until lightly browned on both sides. Drip Cranberry glaze (below) over the medallions.

 

Cranberry Glaze:

- 1 Cups Dry white wine      

- Turkey or chicken stock, as needed

- 1 1⁄2  Cups Dried cranberries       

- 1⁄4 Cup of Pine nuts, toasted          

- Pinch of Salt      

 

Add 1⁄2 cup of white wine and 1⁄2 cup of turkey stock to pan. Add other 1⁄2 cup of turkey stock, cranberries, pine nuts and pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat until reduced in volume by half, about 4 cups.

 

Makes one male serving and two female servings.

 

 

Turkey Shepherds Pie

 

Ingredients:

 

- 2 cups cubed cooked turkey

- 3⁄4 cup turkey gravy

- 1 small can whole kernel corn

- drained 1 cup of chicken stock

- 1 cup of water

- 3 cups steamed cauliflower

- 2 cups celery, chopped 2 carrots

- chopped 1 onion chopped 2 cloves garlic

- minced 1 bell pepper, any color

- chopped Salt and pepper

 

Directions:

 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. First you must make the gravy. Take the garlic, 1 cup of celery, carrots, onion, bell pepper, chicken stock, water, vegetables, salt and pepper to taste. Add to a pot, boil until vegetables are soft and blend in a blender or food processor.

 

Next, you will take the steamed cauliflower and mash it, or place it in a food processor until the consistency is like that of mashed potatoes.

 

Next, in a baking dish, layer the turkey, gravy, corn, remaining celery and mashed cauliflower. Bake, uncovered at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

 

Makes 2 male servings and one female serving.

 

 

Turkey Florentine

 

Ingredients:

 

- 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach

- 2 tablespoons smart butter

- 1 cup cooked whole grain fettuccine

- 2 cups diced, cooked turkey

- 1 cup turkey or chicken stock 1

- (8 ounce) package fat free sour cream and onion dip

- 1⁄2 teaspoon onion salt

- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

- Non-stick cooking spray

 

Directions:

 

Cook spinach according to package directions; drain. Stir in smart butter. Place noodles in a non-stick sprayed baking dish; top with spinach. Combine turkey, stock, onion dip and onion salt and spoon over spinach. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees F for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

 

 

Turkey Green Bean Casserole

 

Ingredients:

 

- 1 bag of frozen green beans

- 6-8 oz. of cubed cooked turkey breast

- 1 can of organic cream of mushroom soup

- 2 cups Kraft all natural fat free cheese

- Salt and Pepper to taste

 

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients into a casserole dish and bake for about 30 minutes or until completely hot. Makes one male serving and two female servings.

 

 

 

Have a great Thanksgiving!!

 

CouleeRegionBootCamps.com

I’d like to provide links to articles or other blog posts I think are interesting from the last week.  I will try to do this once a week.  So lets see how it goes.

Is Ab Work Hurting Your Back?

 

Do you still do crunches to strengthen your abs?  Stuart McGill (one of the premier spine biomechanist in the world) explains why that is not a good idea.  He explains why planks are better and why the core is more than just your “6-pack”.

 

Dissecting The Spine – Why Crunches Suck

 

This video is graphic.  Mark Young disects an actual pig spine.  Not for the faint of heart, but he does a good job explaining my repeated flexion & extension of the lumbar spine (lower back) causes herniated discs.  So doing all those crunches over the years are worse for your back than doing the occasional heavy lifting …. with good form of course   

 

Nature vs Nurture.  Does the way we raise our kids affect how they behave as adults or is it all genetic?  This article explains that it might be both, but with a some fantastic twists.  Ok, so this has nothing to do with crunches or back health.  It is probably the most fascinating article I have read in a while.   It will definitely affect how I raise my son & future kids as well as other children I encounter.  I will always look for positives in every behavior and not only the negatives. 

Hope you all enjoy.  If there are certain topics you would like me to post on my blog let me know in the comments! 

Have a great day! – Anthony 

 

 

Ok, I don’t mean to get too scientific, but this is super important. You see, while busting the belly flab does take effort, it’s not nearly as hard as people make it out to be.

Seriously, the most important part of the process is arming yourself with the CORRECT knowledge. If you know how your body works…why it stores belly flab…what actually causes it to burn off…you’re a whole lot better off.

Now, I know there are a ton of so-called experts out there that are confusing the heck out of you. I know a lot of people tell you different things.  It can be as frustrating as all get out. But if you follow these simple rules and burn them into your brain things will be a lot different.

Anyway, let’s get to today’s easy lesson. Check this out:

- Increased Protein intake triggers the hormone Glucagon.

- This, in turn, prevents the spiking of your Insulin (which is also a hormone) levels.

- Which simply means you minimize the chance of storing blood sugar as fat.

In other words, eat more protein and you bust the belly flab. Sure, there’s more to it than that, but that is the crux of it. And so long as you understand the basics you can KEEP the belly flab from coming back.

When you only eat carbs your Insulin levels go through the roof. And all that blood sugar (that’s what the carbs turn into after you’ve eaten them) which isn’t needed by your body MUST go somewhere. Yup, it goes to your belly; or your butt; or your hips; or your thighs…

The best part is, it’s not very hard to consume more protein. In fact, it’s pretty darn easy. A high quality protein powder will do just the trick.

As you’ve probably heard, my buddies over at Prograde Nutrition have launched their new Prograde Protein powder this week. I wanted to be sure you knew today is the last day you can get it at 10% off. Yeah, they were offering a discount on it just this week to celebrate it’s arrival. But the offer ends TONIGHT at 11:59pm EST so hurry over to http://couleeregionbootcamps.getprograde.com/protein-powder.html to take advantage of it.

Yours in health,

Anthony

PS – I cannot recommend Prograde Protein (hyperlink to http://couleeregionbootcamps.getprograde.com/protein-powder.html)  highly enough. These guys create the highest quality products out there. Save 10% by getting yours right NOW before you forget

Have you ever had to push a car that ran out gas or had the battery die?  Can you remember how hard it was to get that vehicle moving?  Once it started moving, wasn’t it much easier to maintain its momentum?  That’s inertia baby!  Either creating motion of a static object or stopping the motion of a moving object.

Inertia is a very powerful force.  Without getting too geeky with the physics, it takes much more force to start or stop motion than it does to maintain motion (aka momentum).

Think about your daily habits.  Its easier to maintain your routine than it is to create a new one.  Routine is easy and new habits take energy.  Routine can be mindless, new habits take focus.

These are especially true of your fitness habits. 

It’s easier to go to the gym and run on the treadmill for 30 minutes than to strength train.  The treadmill takes care of everything for you.  You just hop on and hit the green button.  Strength training takes some thought & planning.  What exercises, how many reps, how much weight all go into strength training.

It’s also easier to sit on the couch and watch TV than it is to go for a walk or play with your kids in the yard. 

We often choose the easy way out.  We say we’ll go to the gym or lift weights or play with our kids tomorrow.  But guess what?  Inertia takes over.  Everyday it gets easier to follow our habits and avoid changes.

But we all know what it best for us don’t we?

Start tomorrow.

Put a little effort into creating new habits. Healthy habits.  It will take work and maybe more effort than you are used to.  You might have to force yourself to keep doing it for a week or two or three. 

Don’t give up!! 

Cause guess what will happen when your new habits start to become routine? 

It will be harder to break those beneficial habits than it will be to sustain them.

And that’s the goal. 

So build a new life, one new habit at a time.

Everyone has reasons for their actions.  The reasons may be personal or professional.  You may be trying to obtain some big “reward” or trying to avoid some “punishment”.  Whatever the case may be every one needs to know what their motivation is.

This is definitely the case with health & fitness goals.  Do you want to get in shape for that class reunion?   Do you want to be able to play with your kids/grandkids with out being exhausted?  Do you want to avoid the heart disease/diabetes/high cholesterol that has affected other members of your family. 

I have many different motivations for being healthy and improving my physical condition.

- I want to be able to play & run with my son without any hinderance

- I want to avoid the back surgery my dad and grandpa have had

- I want to be capable of doing any physical task that may present itself

- I want to look good for my wife

My motivation for running Coulee Region Boot Camps is a little different.  I want to be able to help others achieve the health & fitness goals of their dreams.  Seeing others make progress gets me fired up beyond belief.  Everyone has so much power inside of themselves.  Seeing that power come out in boot camp and areas beyond is what I love to see.  The people at my boot camp are what motivates me to get up 4:30am. I desire to make their experience one of a kind. 

So what’s your motivation?  And does your motivation fit with your goals & values?