Congrats to All

Congratulations to the winners of the fourth Win with Weight Loss Competition!

First Place: Rob Bailey with a 12.5% Loss
Winner of $300 and 3 TRX Trainings
Trained by Josh
Second Place: Laura Thomas with an 8.8% Loss
Winner of $150 and 2 TRX Trainings
Trained by Jacki
Third Place: Heath Bebout with a 7.8% Loss
Winner of $75
Trained by Josh

Remember, your trainers are always here for YOU! We know you are going to continue your journey and we look forward to being a part of it : )

Get Healthy Before the Holidays Wrap Up and Start... Loredana Petrucci, Psy.D..

You have all taken steps to achieve health by signing up for the Win with Weight Loss: Get Healthy B4 the Holidays. Congratulations! You have experienced a host of things, changed things about your life, and achieved results of some kind.
I am opening this blog as an opportunity for you to write and share what has transpired for you over the course of these couple months. Some questions for thought..............As Socrates said...."the unexamined life is not worth living," so take the time to reflect and move forward in the healthiest way possible!

What has been your favorite thing about your journey?
What has changed the most? stayed the same?
What are you most proud of?
What was the most challenging?
What steps would you like to take here on?
How would you like to be, feel, etc a year from now?


See everybody at the group workout tonight! ...I got a feeling....tonight's gonna be a good night!

A quitter never wins and a winner never quits!

Monday will be the last chance workout followed by measurements and weigh ins. Monday is right around the corner, but you still have four full days to give it your absolute best. It does not matter what ups and downs you may have had throughout this challenge. It is about giving it your best from this point on. It is only four days. You made an investment in YOU 8 weeks ago. Finish strong. NO EXCUSES!

On Monday, we will all meet for the last chance workout at 7 pm. Bring a change of clothes for your weigh ins. Be prepared to sweat.

You will be provided food promptly after your weigh ins!

Stay on the right fitness track, no matter what busy body challenges are sneaking up on you. Read these tips:

Stress. Avoid turning to food for comfort. Instead, try to minimize the impact of rip-your-hair-out situations by practicing deep breathing and adding a short workout into your day.

Weekends. Without the weekday afternoon rush at the gym, you might actually be able to score the cable machine on a Saturday. But don’t use the extra workout as an excuse to overeat later.

Social events. Have a healthy snack such as some apples with peanut butter before heading out, so that you can focus on chatting up your girlfriends, not ogling over the dessert menu.

Kids. Sign up for classes you can take with your baby, or find a gym that offers discounted daycare for members.

TELLING IT LIKE IT IS

Listen, getting in shape is all about setting goals. Losing weight, building muscle, and getting rid of the unhealthy eating habits take guts and perseverance. You have been dealing with something big these last few weeks. You decide what you want, and make it specific and concrete. Think hard about what you want, and use your journal to keep track. Once you have figured out where you want to go, here is a way to get there and stay there.

Learn how to make decisions you can stick with.

Remember, you are not just going on a diet, you are changing your lifestyle, establishing a pattern of health that will enhance the quality of your life. Think big, but choose small, attainable goals - lose a few pounds to start or fit into pants one size smaller - and build on those goals as you reach each one.

Allow yourself room for setbacks. One setback is only one setback - it is not the end of the world, nor is it the end your your journey toward a better you. You don't have to give up. Just get back on the bandwagon and keep going.

Walk the line between self-denial and self-indulgence. It is the middle ground between the two that will offer you the best foundation for building your new life. Maintain your discipline by allowing yourself little pleasures every now and again.

Understand that there are no mistakes. The things you used to think of as mistakes are now just learning experiences, so don't waste time beating yourself up. You will encounter small failures - everyone does. But you'll achieve success too. Just remember, every pound you gain can be lost.

Keep in mind that faith in yourself and your work is what will keep you striving for the best.

Now get in the zone and push as hard as you can!!!

You all have worked so hard.

Angie

Holiday Planning!! Loredana Petrucci, Psy.D.

It's that time! Start thinking about what your goals are for the holiday season! Here is a guide that I've made to help you map your goals and daily plan! Enjoy :)

Holiday Nutrition Plan

Daily goal:

Daily Food Log

Breakfast

Snack

Lunch

Dinner

Snack

Beverages

Activities

Happy Friday! Hello Weekend!!

Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did. ~Newt Gingrich

From this point forward, it is all about perseverance. Everyday is a new day. Wake up with determination and go to bed with satisfaction. Make today a calorie deficit day. Burn more calories than you take in. It does not matter what you did yesterday, it is about today. Make it happen.

WILL TO WIN!

Tonight is HAPPY HOUR at Meli from 4 - 7 pm. Hope to see you there!

We're almost there!!!

The time is almost here and you guys are all doing fantastic! There are just under 2 weeks left that means the final push is here! You should feel good about your progress, use that as motivation to make it all the way to the end. Keep sweating, keep working, keep pushing all the way to the finish line!!

You have been working hard throughout this competition and you are looking great! What better way to reward yourself than with some new, great looking gear. Here is the official 2009 Win with Weight Loss gift guide! Get something for yourself and get some great holiday gift ideas for others. Happy shopping and keep on sweating!

Cocona Fabric
Cocona fabric is made from the activated carbon found in coconut shells. It is anti-microbial so it will keep you cool, dry, and less stinky. It’s also eco-friendly which proves it IS easy to be green and look chic at the same time! Danskin makes a kicky little workout skirt for women and New Balance is selling men’s tee shirts in a multitude of colors.
Where: Dick’s Sporting Goods
Price: $49 (skirt) $29 (shirt)

Element Bars
This nifty website allows you to create your own custom energy bar. You get to pick your “core” (choices run from crispy to date-y), fruits, sweets, and boosters such as protein, Omega-3, and fiber. Name your bar and enjoy!
Where: www.elementbars.com
Price: $36 for a 12 pack

Magazines
Get a year’s worth of workout and nutrition tips delivered to your door. Magazines make for great holiday gifts as the recipient will think of you every month. There are tons of choices available, so why not choose a few?
Where: www.amazon.com has a great selection and is easy to navigate
Price: Varies – but mainly between $10 - $20 per year

Samsung UB
This 2GB MP3 player is small in size, but big in features. Not only does it hold up to 500 songs, but it also has a built in FM tuner and a record feature. It also has a built in USB for easy computer connectivity (no more cords to fiddle with). It comes in a plethora of colors and the price is super nice!
Where: Target stores
Prices: $39.99

FIND THE STRENGTH TO STOP EMOTIONAL EATING

Emotional eating can be a big problem when you're trying to lose weight. You have a stinky week, and suddenly that pint of ice cream seems like the solution to your problem, Right? WRONG!! That's the old you. The new, empowered, and strong you can push through tough or trying times, knowing that things can and will get better.

Stop letting your emotions sabotage your weight loss. Establish healthy patterns of behavior and invest in your physical and emotional well-being.

I have been there! Emotional eating was my specialty and can really sneak up on you. I found that a good, hard workout definitely helps. Getting through the physically difficult workout gives me stamina and focus to get through the emotional difficulties. It has taught me to "suck it up" and push through it, and get over it!

There will be times, though, when you can be emotionally spent and what you really need is rest. You know your body - just listen to it.

REMEMBER, this is a lifelong commitment - today is just one day in your journey. Tomorrow is a new day and another step forward.

Bodies in Motion!!!! Loredana Petrucci, Psy.D.

At this time, you’ve achieved nearly two months of increasing your activity! Many of you also participated in the Spinners for Dinners Event to add to your fitness. With this, you helped things happen “full circle” by means of sharing time, teaching a class, donating funds and food. It was a fantastic experience for me to witness how much fun and generosity is shared amongst each other. What a great example of productivity! Working out and simultaneously lending a helping hand!
Moving forward, I encourage you to take the time to reflect on your past weeks activities, moments, if you will, and things that you have achieved. How do you want your body to be in motion? And, what highlights can you create and carry in your heart from your fitness ventures?

Less than 20 Days to Go

To be exact, you have 17 more days to go in this competition. To be a winner, you have to be a loser. Stay committed to your goals. Anything can happen in the last 17 days. You can lose, maintain or gain weight. The choice is your. But know the choice is not easy. It is not a single choice rather accumulation of choices made throughout everyday and every night. To eat this or not, to drink this or that, to go to the gym or not, to plan or not... Make healthy choices. No one should end this competition saying, "Could of, should of, would of".

Friday and Saturday

Well as you all know, we have our 2nd annual spinners for dinners starting on Friday and going all the way through Saturday. I hope all of you have signed up to take a class and support this great cause which is the Bea Gaddy Family Center. This is an excellent opportunity for us to see your faces in the gym when we aren't training together. With that being said, we hope you are making the most of the opportunities available every day of the week at the Canton Club. Everything you need to reach your fitness goal is at your fingertips, it's up to you to put it to use. Find your motivation and make your push because time is running out! How badly do you want to win? Prove it!

Hit the Road!

Hey, team! You’ve been doing an exceptional job so far and you may have noticed the numbers staring back at you on the scale have something in common with the temperature – both are dropping at a steady rate! What better way to celebrate your success than by setting a goal for yourself: running or walking in a 5K! There are tons of exciting races coming up including the Jingle Bell 5K where Jacki, Erin, and Angie will be running as elves! So lace up those running shoes because it’s time to train!

What’s that? You say running on the treadmill makes you feel like a hamster? Well fear not because this weather is PERFECT for training outside! Here are some ways to stay safe while exercising outside.

1) Walk/Run This Way!
No matter the time of day, run against traffic. You’ll be able to see what’s coming your way and the oncoming traffic will be able to see you. In the case of danger, you will have time to react.

2) Don’t be Afraid to Shine
Obviously, it is getting dark at 4pm or some other unthinkably early time. If you decide to hit the streets before or after sunrise, make yourself visible to drivers. Reflective vests, glow-in-the dark stickers, and reflective, Velcro wrist and ankle bands will all do the trick. It also goes without saying, but avoid wearing black or dark colors. Bright reds, oranges, yellows, and greens should be wardrobe staples. If you are worried about looking like a Crayola box, then basic white is a safe bet.

For more tips, or to see a list of fun races, visit the http://www.active.com. Keep up the good work. GO TEAM!

MOVE IT TO LOSE IT

Do you know someone who is getting amazing results from an insanely low-calorie diet? It may be tempting to severely restrict your calories in hopes of a drastic weight loss, but don't even think about it!! Truth is, very few people can maintain one of those crazy kinds of diets for more than a couple weeks. And to make things worse, most people on near-starvation diets gain back all the weight (and more) just a few months later.

In weight-loss terms, fat is energy and the best way to lose it is to use it. You have to do it with diet and exercise. If you diet without exercise, the majority of your weight loss will be from muscle. The minute you stray from your diet, the weight will come right back on.

The only way to lose it for good is to get moving! Exercise not only helps you burn calories, it also helps build, strengthen, and maintain lean muscle. Exercise has another benefit called after-burn. A great cardio routine keeps burning fat not just during your workout but for hours afterward.

The rule of the game is increasing your intensity. The exercise after-burn is also referred to as "excess post-exercise oxygen consumption." It represents the calories used up to return the body back to its pre-exercise state, or resting level, which can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 48 hours, depending on the intensity and duration of the workout. What's more, if you do a training workout in the morning and try one our Group X Classes in the evening you will reap the benefits of a twice-a - day after-burn without over training your muscles.

Doing any type of physical activity is healthier than sitting on the couch downing a bag of chips. And activities like bowling and golf do burn calories - but not enough. To see dramatic weight loss, you must do heart-pumping cardio. Cardio is any activity that is rhythmic, continuous, requires the movement of large muscles and raises your heart rate. Try my Group X Class, Rock UR Skinnies on Wednesdays @ 7pm or Jacki's Extreme CardioFlex on Thursday's @6:30 or Heavy Bag Bootcamp on Saturday's @9am or try one of our many Spin Classes.

You all are working so hard! Keep it up - oh and your heart rate too!

Inspiration Loredana Petrucci, Psy.D.

Ah, inspiration! What comes to mind when you hear that word. Maybe you think of a special someone, a figure, perhaps a quote, an image, a song. Whatever it is you think about, let that inspiration bring you to your next steps, goal achievement, and happiness!

I would like to take this time to share with you some inspirational quotes, images, songs, etc. that I simply came up with doing a web site search. I hope that you enjoy these, and that you will BLOG us back with some of yours!

Some quotes.....

I never did anything worth doing by accident,
nor did any of my inventions come by accident; they came by work."
Thomas Edison

"If I could reach up and hold a star for every time you made me smile, the entire evening sky would be in the palm of my hand."
---Unknown

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm ... As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands. One for helping yourself, the other for helping others.
Audrey Hepburn

Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts. That's what little girls are made of; the heck with sugar and spice.
Bethany Hamilton

The steeper the mountain the harder the climb the better the view from the finishing line.
Anonymous

Some songs….

What a wonderful world. Louis Armstrong
Eye of the Tiger. Survivor
Only Time. Enya.
People of the World Spice Girls
It takes two. Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock
Right Now. Van Halen
Everyday. Dave Mathews Band

And, some images that inspire me are included throughout the blog. Close your eyes. What is the first thing you see. Close your eyes again. Think about........................inspiration! Enjoy!

As your team of personal trainers, we strive to make you feel inspired, supported, and encouraged. Let's hear from you! Add some things to the list of inspirational things in development!!! :)