The challenge called “Hold Your Wood.” (Photo by Bonnie Leta)
In Part II of the Tough Mudder Challenge, Team Boom Factor goes off the grid as they navigate the early part of the course where they endure harrowing challenges and injuries. Meanwhile their trusty support team waits anxiously on the mountain side watching other challengers endure the “Hold Your Wood” obstacle, until, at last, Team Boom Factor appears…high?
Filed under aerobic, Fitness, Meet Our Trainers, Our Causes, Tough Mudder Challenge, What We Do For Fun
The Braveheart Charge.” This is as clean as they’ll be for the rest of the day. (Photo by Bonnie Leta)
by Martha Hicks Leta
On Sunday, May 6, members from Fitness Together in Norwell, 2 trainers and 3 clients, formed a team with 4 other South Shore residents to take part in the Tough Mudder New England Challenge at Mount Snow, VT.
Client Allison Jones of Team Boom Factor gave herself the gift of finishing the Tough Mudder Challenge for her 36 birthday. She says, “A special thanks has to be made to Joe Caruso, Mike Eaton and Alicia Tasney, the trainers at FT. Without their guidance, encouragement, and challenges, I would never have been able to do TM. They have made FT Norwell the success it is today and they keep us coming back year-over-year to push our physical boundaries. I was absolutely amazed that I could do what I did on that mountain. I give myself lots of credit, but I know it wouldn’t have been possible without FT and my teammates on Team Boom Factor!”
Here are photos and Part I of Team Boom Factor’s epic journey through one of the toughest adventure races on the planet. Continue reading
Filed under aerobic, Fitness, Meet Our Trainers, Our Causes, Tough Mudder Challenge, What We Do For Fun
By Martha Hicks Leta
Most adults with busy lives become creatures of habit when it comes to cooking and eating. At the grocery store, if we get there at all, we tend to stick with the same familiar staples. In the produce aisle that usually means the same boring rotation of broccoli, green beans and lettuce, leaving an entire spectrum of leafy greens, unexplored.
Kale, for instance, is a dark leafy member of the cabbage family that thrives in cooler weather. If you’ve spent any time in fishing villages like New Bedford or Provincetown or if you are of Portuguese descent, you’re probably familiar with kale as a staple in things like Portuguese Kale soup, which runs a close second in these parts to traditional New England clam chowder, and yet it’s a much healthier alternative.
As a nutritional powerhouse, kale is unsurpassed. Says expert Teris Espinosa at Fitness Together in North Attelboro, “Kale is packed with nutrients. It is a great source of fiber, protein, thiamin, riboflavin, folate, iron, magnesium and phosphorus, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, potassium, copper and manganese.”
This sort of nutritional punch delivers myriad benefits, such as lowering cholesterol, fighting free radicals that cause cancer, improving eye health, and reducing risk of heart disease, even more so when it is eaten cooked instead of raw.
“Kale is great in so many ways,” says Espinosa. “Delicious in smoothies! Add it to some fruit, almond milk and protein, blend it and yumm! You can brush some olive oil on it add a little sea salt and bake it to make kale chips.”
Before you go charging for the kale a few caveats from Web MD expert Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD. “Vitamin K is necessary for a wide variety of bodily functions, including normal blood clotting, antioxidant activity, and bone health. But too much vitamin K can pose problems for some people. Anyone taking anticoagulants such as Warfarin should avoid kale because the high level of vitamin K may interfere with the drugs. Consult your doctor before adding kale to your diet.”
If Kale is in your dietary wheelhouse, add it to your protein shake to replenish after a challenging FT workout,. To do so, you should thoroughly wash the kale leaves and remove the stem, which can be a bit too fibrous for most blenders to handle. If you want to go hog wild, you can blanch and freeze it before blending. This will allow you to use only what you need and you can save money by buying it in bulk. Try these delicious kale recipes for extra nutrients in your diet:
Post FT Workout Smoothie
In a blender combine:
1 cup almond milk
1 scoop of your favorite protein/whey powder
3 ice cubes
1 handful of washed kale leaves without the spines
1 handful of frozen blueberries
1 banana
Crank it up and enjoy!
FT North Attleboro Kale Chips
1 bunch kale
1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
1 clove garlic minced
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Thoroughly wash and dry kale. Remove leaves from stem and spine. Cut or tear leaves into bite size pieces. In a bowl lightly coat kale pieces with EVOO and garlic. Sprinkle with sea salt. (For variety add chili flakes and paprika.) Place kale pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment, or coated with non-stick spray.
Bake for 12-14 minutes.
To find an FT Studio near you check out FTGetsResults.
Filed under Healthy Snacks, Recipes
By Tyler Brown of Tyler and Lisa Brown’s Flow
I chose the title because I’ve heard people called “skinny fat” before. When someone is called “skinny fat”, it means they don’t have any muscle tone even though they weigh less than most people on the scale. Frankly, I’ve thought that the concept was pretty abrasive, and I haven’t used it to describe anyone. But at the same time, it fairly accurately describes a lot of people who don’t weigh very much but still don’t look very healthy.
The cause of being “skinny fat” is focusing on total weight loss. Because of this, people will restrict their food as much as they can to lose total weight. The problem is that when they do this, they lose both muscle and fat. This doesn’t sound horrible until you think more about it.
Three main factors:
1. A pound of muscle burns 35 to 50 calories per day (even at rest).
2. Weight loss from restricting calories without exercising can result in up to half of that weight loss being muscle loss.
3. Once you stop restricting your calories, your body is extremely likely to go back to its original weight.
What does that look like in real life? Let’s take an example of a statistically average American woman who decides to lose weight by cutting a lot of calories without exercising.
January 1 (Before Diet)
Height: 5’4”
Weight: 165lbs
Bodyfat Percentage: 25%
Lean Body Mass: 124lbs
Fat Mass: 41lbs
Summary: She’s statistically as average as I can possibly make her for an American woman.
April 1 (After Diet)
Height: 5’4”
Weight: 125lbs (40lb loss)
Bodyfat Percentage: 17%
Lean Body Mass: 104lbs (20lb loss)
Fat Mass: 21lbs (20lb loss)
Summary: Now, she’s lost 40lbs from her overly-restrictive diet with no exercise. 20lbs of that was fat, and 20lbs was muscle. The 20lbs of muscle loss equated to a 1,000 calorie loss in her metabolism, but at least she’s leaner too.
July 1 (After Three Months of Eating Normally Again)
Height: 5’4”
Weight: 165lbs (no change from January 1)
Bodyfat Percentage: 37%
Lean Body Mass: 104lbs (20lb loss from January 1)
Fat Mass: 61lbs (20lb gain from January 1)
Summary: Her body bounced back to its original weight as it almost always does after severe calorie restriction. Once her body realized that it had survived a starvation period, it took steps to make sure that she doesn’t starve to death in the future. She did nothing to make her body need to build muscle, so it got back to its prior weight by building body fat.
Now she is the same weight she was when she started her six-month diet attempt, but she is 20lbs fatter. Her metabolism is also 1,000 calories slower. Any future diet attempts she makes will be much more difficult due to her now sluggish metabolism.
This is how someone becomes “skinny fat”. They do too many weight-loss diets without exercise to build or maintain muscle mass. In a few days, I’ll write a realistic example of what can happen over six months if you simply eat a little less and exercise a little more. The results are dramatically different.
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To find out more about FT’s customized Fitness and Nutrition programs, check out FTGetsResults.com
For more about Tyler and Lisa Brown go to their blog at Tyler and Lisa’s Flow
Filed under Diet, Fitness, Fitness Goals, Nutrition, Trainer Tips, Weight Gain, Weight Loss
by Martha Hicks Leta
Golf: a game invented perhaps a thousand years ago by lowly shepherds whacking at meadow muffins with sticks as they followed their grazing sheep through the Scottish moors, yet endures in our tech-enslaved, time-crunched society. In the US alone it’s estimated some 26 million people indulge in this sometimes pain-inducing sport.
Arnold Palmer once said, “Success in golf depends less on strength of body than upon strength of mind and character.” With his recent string of injuries, Tiger Woods might beg to differ with “The King.” This past March Tiger gimped off the Doral Open course with an injured Achilles tendon, passing up the chance at a $1.4 million prize. The Doral marked the third time in as many years the once seemingly invincible player has had to withdraw due to injury.
Dina Whalen of Fitness Together in Lynnfield knows a thing or two about helping her clients prepare for the links. Recently certified as a Golf Fitness Specialist by the National Academy of Sports Medicine, her specialty lies in helping golfers improve their swing while avoiding injuries.
Fitness training for golf? you ask. Isn’t that a bit over indulgent? While golf may appear to require little in the way of cardio endurance or physical strength, Whalen says the training component is essential to achieve optimum performance over the long term. “Golf is a sport that most people think you don’t have to be in good physical shape for. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Proper programming including flexibility, stability, strength, and power will ensure the golfer will enjoy the sport for years to come.”
Whalen says that with her added certification in Golf Fitness, she has a deeper understanding of golf related injuries and is able to utilize exercises to correct swing faults, improper posture and poor flexibility.
“The golf swing creates intense loading forces on the body that are rapid and complex. The forces in the low back during a drive can exceed 8 times the body weight!” adds Whalen. “As a result, the incidence rate of low-back injuries is 50% for the amateur player. This statistic suggests that half of all golfers will incur a lower back injury at some point in their playing careers.”
An avid golfer plays somewhere in the neighborhood of 37 rounds per year, not including time on the practice range. This means a high rate of repetitive movement, which can lead to injuries from incorrect motion and wear and tear on joints and ligaments. Add to that the fact that many people play golf well into their retirement years and the potential for injury from trauma or overuse is increases drastically. This means that a fit golfer is a better golfer over the long term.
“People think that by spending more money on better golf clubs and gadgets, they can improve their game, but the truth is the only way to improve a score is to make improvements on the golfer,” says Whalen. “A golfer’s conditioning program must therefore be designed to integrate the whole body.”
When designing a proper fitness routine for golf, Whalen says the primary focus must be on four factors: flexibility, stability, strength and power.
“It’s important to address these factors in the correct order,” she emphasizes. “With the proper workout, a golfer can develop the ability to hit the ball farther and more precisely.”
Cathy Schaum, owner of Fitness Together in Tyngsboro agrees. Though she doesn’t hold a certification in golf training, as a certified personal trainer with years of experience, she’s been able to deliver great results for her clients on the golf course. She says when she reflects on the golfers she’s worked with, one client in particular comes to mind. Rich came to FT Tyngsboro several years ago at the behest of his wife, who was tired of seeing her husband come home from the golf course sore and dejected.
“When I met Rich, he was very frustrated with his golf. Not only the performance, but just getting through the first 9 holes. He was miserable,” Schaum remembers. “Because he was so stiff, it took 9 holes before he was warmed up and relaxed.”
Though Rich was resistant to the concept of working out, Schaum was able to design a course of training that he enjoyed. Rich’s program was tailored toward building the strength in his knees, lower back and shoulders, while increasing over all flexibility. By incorporating twisting motions into many of the exercises, Schaum was ably to help Rich get his swing back.
By the time Rich hit the links the following spring, he noticed dramatic improvements in his game and his over all energy levels. Best of all, the pain and stiffness that had been nagging at his knees and lower back were more or less gone.
“The weight training, exercise and nutrition advice have really paid off,” Rich wrote to Schaum. “I’m just getting into the golf season and clearly in the best shape I’ve been in for MANY years. The scores show it and the big thing is how I feel during and after each round. I played three straight days on the Cape a few weeks ago and had the lowest total gross scores on the 20 man roster!”
Whether for golf, gardening or other fitness goals, the trainers at Fitness Together work with each client to ensure that their goals are accomplished, delivering the greatest results in the least amount of time while keeping clients on the proper path to physical fitness.
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To schedule an appointment with Golf Fitness Specialist Dina Whalen, or to find out about FT Lynnfield’s spring specials call 781-780-7591. | FT Lynnfield
Find out more about Dina here.
To schedule an appointment with Cathy Schaum in Tyngsboro go to visit them at their new location at 73 Progress Ave, Suite 2 or call 978-649-6799. | FT Tyngsboro
Find out more about Cathy here.
To find a Fitness Together near you or to learn more about our customized group and personal training programs, check out FTGetsResults.com
Filed under Exercise, Fitness, Golf, Trainer Tips, Workout
clipped from an email sent by Sally Edwards of HEARTZONES
OK – it’s time to brag about one of the healthiest 93 year old cyclists on the planet – Pinkhouse. At the Heart Zones Conference last year, he raced the 30-something Mandy LeBlanc in an indoor bike challenge – and won by 10 watts/pound! Watch this video and listen to the short interview of how 93 year old Pinkhouse does it, finishing a 40 mile ride on a tandem, near his hometown of Sacramento.
ABOUT HEART ZONES USA/strong>
This is the company that created the original and is now the world leader in heart-rate training branded and patented systems beginning in 1993. The company leads events, publishes content, and develops new mobile technologies as a consultant or hands-on like the Blink, the flashing zones heart rate monitor.
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Fitness Together customizes their programs for each client, so if you are a teen to a senior, or a family with youngsters, every member will be getting the full workout they need. For more information on FT or to find a studio near you, please go to FTGetsResults.com
Filed under aerobic, Bike Rides, Fitness, Seniors, Workout
clipped by trainer & owner Steve Lichtman (FT Dedham/FT Cohasset/FT Westborough/FT Norwell) from The Chicago Tribune
Working out with your kids is great for setting a healthy example and sharing time
By James Fell, Special to Tribune Newspapers
(Editor’s Note: Don’t forget about the Family Fitness special FT Cohasset is running right now.)
Early on, when my kids were young, I had a two-seat sport stroller that I could push them in while I went running. I could also tow them in it behind my bike. It was great, until my daughter realized she could whale the tar out of her older brother and there was no way for him to escape. And that was the end of that. Screams of terror ruin the Zen of exercise.
But while children can complicate the exercise lifestyle, thankfully it’s a phase they’ll grow out of.
And by the time they hit 9 or 10, there are more ways to get them exercising alongside you.
“When children see you exercising, they mirror what you do,” Dr. Teri McCambridge, director of sports medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, told me. Working out by yourself is fine, but she extols the virtues of making fitness a family affair. “If they see you get pleasure from it, then they will as well. Obesity is a big problem in society, and this is helpful for both adults and children.”
But mine still aren’t capable of keeping up with their old man. Intensity is problematic when you’re the parent of a 13- and a 10-year-old, and I’m not a guy who likes to wait for anyone. Just ask my wife what it’s like to go skiing with me.
Still, I need to do that “quality time” thing and set a good example, and I have found solutions. Behold!
Most important: Know kids don’t want to exercise. They want to have fun. Getting side-by-side elliptical trainers isn’t going to work. Going out to play will.
Running
I’m a fan of running. It’s not that expensive, has tremendous health benefits, leads to positive changes in body composition and can be done almost anywhere. I’ve trained hard and can go far and fast, yet I still can’t hope to keep up with my kids when they’re on their bikes.
And that’s OK; it makes it fun for them. We head out with instructions for them to stop occasionally and allow me to catch up. They think it’s hilarious to sprint down the path and leave me in their dust. Then they take a break, throw some rocks in the river, climb a tree or search for four-leaf clovers. Then I arrive and we repeat. Since I can run several miles, they’re feeling pretty done-for by the end, and so am I. My wife will often join us either on in-line skates or a bike.
Paddling
Several years ago, I bought a two-seat open-water kayak and christened it “The Marriage Saver.” Our marriage wasn’t in trouble, but it would have been if we had two single-seat boats. My wife’s not slow; I’m just kind of … nuts. Again, when I’m exercising I really don’t like to hold back. The two-seater allows my wife to paddle at her own pace and rest when she likes, and it works just as well when a kid is aboard.
Pretty soon we’re going to buy a second two-seater, and my older and stronger son will paddle with his mom, and my younger daughter will go with me. We should be pretty evenly matched that way. Canoes work for this too.
Karate
I think karate is another great idea. I don’t do it, but my wife and both my kids do. (My wife has a black belt, so I’m hoping she doesn’t take offense at that marriage saver comment.) My son is one belt level below her and my daughter one below that. They’ve been at it for years in a family-oriented dojo that allows parents and kids to take classes alongside each other. I think martial arts are a fantastic choice for kids, because they merge anaerobic and aerobic exercise to develop both strength and endurance, plus flexibility, discipline and a useful defensive skill that I hope they never have to use.
And beyond physical fitness, sports such as karate instill mental toughness and a can-do attitude in young kids.
“It develops a feeling of success, empowerment and self-confidence in children,” said David Jones of Calgary, a 7th degree black belt who has taught karate for 34 years and developed many international champions. The complexity and rigor of karate movement help enhance a child’s mental capabilities, Jones told me.
Climbing
It’s a testament to my desire to spend time with my children that I have gone rock climbing with them despite being a nervous wreck about heights. This sport is hard, and I think most kids leave their parents in the dust. Of course, I have a lot more body weight to haul up the climbing wall, but I’m convinced my daughter is hiding a prehensile tail.
Swimming
This is yet another activity that allows me to keep the intensity up while kids get their fun. I’m not talking about lengths in a pool, but taking them to a water park, lake or ocean. At the wave pool recently I swam laps while I watched my children swing from a rope into the water and do the slide again and again. I’ve done laps around docks that they were jumping off, and even going snorkeling with my son and daughter allows me to cover extra territory by repeatedly swimming down to the bottom and back up.
Weights
Another thing I want to give a plug for is weight lifting. Last year I wrote two columns on the subject of kids lifting weights, busting the myth about its stunting their growth while showing that it has protective and performance enhancing effects for other sports with low risk of injury. What’s more, it’s an excellent choice for overweight kids who may hate aerobic exercise, because they are often stronger than their leaner peers. Lifting provides an ego boost that engenders positive attitudes about exercise.
I train both my kids in my home gym, but public facilities such as the YMCA will often have weight lifting programs that start as early as age 8. Once they hit 12, many gyms will allow them to work out with parental supervision (they may want you to take a course first), and I can speak from experience that there is much family bonding to be had over lifting heavy things and putting them back down.
More
To add to these suggestions, there are any number of sports that allow for parents and children to select their own level of intensity yet still play together. Kicking around a soccer ball, shooting hoops, tossing a football or Frisbee all allow for selective exertion. I especially like Frisbee because my kids don’t have the best aim and I have to run pretty fast to catch some of the throws.
Or, you can play hacky sack and everyone can be equally terrible.
Finally, if you trust your kids with sharp implements on their feet, there is always ice skating. Nothing wrong with lapping them.
James Fell is a certified strength and conditioning specialist.
Family Fitness Special | FT Cohasset
For more information on keeping your family fit or to find an Fitness Together studio near you, go to FTGetsResults.com
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STEVE LICHTMAN
Steve is the owner of Fitness Together in Cohasset, Dedham, Norwell, and Westborough, MA.
His background includes a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Communications Management from Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY. While working in corporate America, Steve traveled extensively and was challenged to maintain a consistent exercise and nutrition program. Steve found the support he needed and dramatically improved his health through the help of Fitness Together. After 2 years as a client, personal fitness has become a lifestyle for Steve. In October 2005, Steve purchased his first two studios. He acquired his third Fitness Together in Westborough, MA on September 1st, 2006.
Steve has been married for 30 years to his lovely wife, Barbara. They have two active sons, Jeff, age 20 and David, age 17. Steve stays fit working out with his trainers and exercising five times a week. In his free time he enjoys skiing, tennis and kayaking on Cape Cod.
Filed under aerobic, Exercise, Fitness, Fitness Tips, Trainer Tips, Weight Loss
