Tough Mudder: Part Two

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?

Norwell Fitness Together Team Takes on The Tough Mudder Challenge

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.

Confessions of a Lapsed Fitness Together Client

by FT Client Martha Leta

Forgive me Fitness Together, for I have sinned. It has been a year and a half since my last session. I have examined my muscle tone, strength and flexibility and found them sorely lacking. I have, middle-aged slacker that I am, denied or doubted my need for weight training. I have, in my year since straying, disobeyed my trainer in important matters; I did not stay faithful to my food journal, nor did I give thought to my dwindling muscle mass and bone density. I have willfully neglected my squat-thrusts, chest-presses and chin-ups in favor of superficial fitness. I went to places of false workouts. Yeah, though I shimmy-shake through the valley of Zumba, I have developed the beginnings of a tire around my middle and have begun giving serious thought to wearing SPANX. To bed. And maybe in the shower.

And now, sinner that I am, I have returned to Fitness Together full of contrition, all flabby inner thighs and bat wings. I have thrown myself upon the mercy of the Priestess of the Plank, Alicia Tansey, at FT Norwell. While I have been off wandering through the fields of the Slacking Triceps, and the Hills of the Sloping Gluteus Maximus, Alicia has been working hard to come up with new ways to build us into stronger and healthier individuals—tricky things with ropes and bungee cords. Take pity on me, oh Great Trainer, for I have become weak and I see that gigantic tractor tire leaning against the wall. Give me strength. Amen.

Martha Leta
Client FT Norwell

I started going to FT in Norwell back in 2008 with the goal of a little weight loss and a lot of fitness improvement. My mother was of the “Mad Men” generation and thought muscles were unattractive on women. She smoked and drank with Hollywood-style panache and stuffed herself into girdles rather than exercise. That practice didn’t serve her well in her later years, and as I watched her body and health collapse like a house of cards, I vowed not to follow the same path. I loved my FT workouts knowing that all I had to do was show up on time with a willing attitude and leave an hour later having gotten the best possible workout in the shortest amount of time. I went faithfully and soon saw and felt real benefits–strength, muscle, fitness and improvement in my general sense of well-being. But then things came up, life interruptus, and I took a break in winter of 2010. In the interim did fairly well keeping up with my cardio, but not so much with the weight training. I hit the big Five-Oh last November and began noticing some collapsing of my own. Luckily, I’ve just joined the FT team as Marketing Coordinator (Maybe that “WILL WORK FOR WORKOUTS” sign did the trick after all) and am happy to be back training with Alicia Tasney. I had my first full session today. As we go along, I hope to share some of the ups and downs of my progress. Maybe an article or two along the way.

Fitness Together Norwell

Our full list of Northern New England FT Studios can be found on FTGetsResults.com

Fitness Tip from Martha Leta: 3 Liquids To Help Fight Hunger

:: Article clipped by FT Client Martha Leta from Real Age

After a recent FT workout, as I was standing in my kitchen cramming my third handful of almonds into my mouth, I remembered how insanely ravenous I’d get after some of my workouts. I asked Norwell FT trainer Alicia Tasney for some ideas on this. She says it’s a good idea to replenish your body immediately after a workout to keep hunger in check. A smoothie made with protein powder is a great way to do this. “Look for a low carb protein powder,” Tasney says. “I use Lean Body Low Carb. Then 10 oz of water, a cup of ice. And a fruit of your choice–strawberries, blueberries, banana, pineapple–any of which only use one cup of. This can be a snack and after a workout will hold you over until your next meal. But eating before a workout is also going to be a big role in this hunger. If you don’t eat or don’t eat enough prior to a workout, you’ll be starving at the end of your workout.” Martha

3 Liquids That Help Halt Hunger

Keep that hefty appetite firmly under control by making these three liquids part of each day: skim milk, H2O, and olive oil.

That’s right. Studies suggest that these three fab fluids may keep hunger at bay, reduce calorie intake, and keep the pounds from creeping on.

Skim milk: In a study, the people who drank about 20 ounces of skim milk at breakfast ate way less at lunch compared with the people who had fruit juice with their morning meals. The researchers think the proteins in skim milk — whey and casein — may help make skim milk quite the filler-upper. (Related: http://www.realage.com/tips/a-breakfast-favorite-that-blasts-fat?src=edit&chan=tip&con=tip&click=p3 Not a milk drinker? Fill up on this popular high-protein breakfast food instead.)

Olive oil: This Mediterranean staple is loaded with a hunger-curbing compound called oleic acid. This monounsaturated fat stimulates the small intestine to make another fatlike substance that sends “full” signals from the stomach to the brain. Other foods high in oleic acid include sunflower seeds, canola oil, safflower oil, almonds, and avocados. (Related: http://www.realage.com/eat-smart/food-and-nutrition/unsaturated-fats-unhealthy-kinds-types?src=edit&chan=tip&con=tip&click=p4 Find out why corn oil may be a bad choice for you.)

Water: Numerous studies suggest that folks who drink ample water feel fuller and eat far fewer calories throughout the day compared with people who don’t drink enough agua. Water drinkers are also less likely to indulge in sweetened drinks like soda, calorie-laden coffee drinks, and sugary sports drinks. And in yet another study, drinking 16 ounces of water before each meal helped dieters lose more weight — and lose it faster — than dieters who didn’t drink water before meals. (Related: http://www.realage.com/tips/to-weigh-less-just-add-this?src=edit&chan=tip&con=tip&click=p5 Here’s how water helped women lose more weight in the study.)

http://www.realage.com/tips/3-liquids-to-suppress-your-appetite-naturally?eid=1098960006&memberid=10428314

Martha Leta
Client FT Norwell

I started going to FT in Norwell back in 2008 with the goal of a little weight loss and a lot of fitness improvement. My mother was of the “Mad Men” generation and thought muscles were unattractive on women. She smoked and drank with Hollywood-style panache and stuffed herself into girdles rather than exercise. That practice didn’t serve her well in her later years, and as I watched her body and health collapse like a house of cards, I vowed not to follow the same path. I loved my FT workouts knowing that all I had to do was show up on time with a willing attitude and leave an hour later having gotten the best possible workout in the shortest amount of time. I went faithfully and soon saw and felt real benefits–strength, muscle, fitness and improvement in my general sense of well-being. But then things came up, life interruptus, and I took a break in winter of 2010. In the interim did fairly well keeping up with my cardio, but not so much with the weight training. I hit the big Five-Oh last November and began noticing some collapsing of my own. Luckily, I’ve just joined the FT team as Marketing Coordinator (Maybe that “WILL WORK FOR WORKOUTS” sign did the trick after all) and am happy to be back training with Alicia Tasney. I had my first full session today. As we go along, I hope to share some of the ups and downs of my progress. Maybe an article or two along the way.

Fitness Together Norwell

Our full list of Northern New England FT Studios can be found on FTGetsResults.com