Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and
the University of Colorado set out to determine
what lifestyle changes were needed to lose weight
AND keep it off. They began an on-going study
called the National Weight Control Registry (www.nwcr.ws).

This registry does not list all of their test
subjects. In order to make it you had to lose over
30 pounds AND keep it off for a year. So they did
a good job qualifying success.

What they found was intersting.

And the numbers they compiled don’t lie.

The findings are listed into 10 lifestyle changes.

Here are the 10 habits of these successful weight
losers:

1. 98 percent of registry participants reported
that they modified their food intake in some way
to lose weight. Ok, kinda obviousl But you must
change your eating habits in some way (i.e. fewer
calories) to lose weight.

2. Most registry members reported consuming less
high-fat dense food groups and more low-fat dense
food groups resulting in a lower daily calorie
intake and greater weight loss. Eat lighter and
cleaner. Stay away from fried, high fat foods and
eat more fresh fruits and veggies.

3. 94 percent of registry participants reported
increasing their physical activity. Again, kinda
obvious. More out, less in.

4. 90 percent reported exercising, on average,
about one hour per day. Note the difference of
activity and exercise. Yesterday a client ran 1
mile and also played in a basketball game. She
asked if the game counted for cardio. I said no.
Walking your kids around the block, golfing and
gardening are all activity. But exercise is
strength and cardio training. There IS a
difference.

5. 78 percent reported eating breakfast daily.
I’ll venture to say they didn’t eat donuts.

6. 75 percent of registry participants reported
weighing themselves at least once a week. The
interval can and should vary, but measurment of
progress is essential. It helps you stay
accountable and also provides motivation, which fuels your efforts.

7. 62 percent watched TV less than 10 hours/week.
More TV means a more sedentary lifestyle. Do you
know how much TV you watch? Try tracking it. I bet
you’d be surprised.

8. 42% of the sample reported that maintaining
their weight loss was less difficult than losing
weight. This is VERY IMPORTANT. Because I see this
mistake all the time.

In the beginning, when you’re trying to lose
weight, you CANNOT afford to cheat. You MUST
remain committed to your program and keep the ‘dial turned up’. Then, once you’ve reached your goal you can afford to cheat here and there. If you start to backslide you simply ‘turn the dial back up.’

9. Nearly all registry members stated that weight
loss led to improvements in their level of energy,
physical mobility, general mood, self-confidence,
and physical health. I won’t begin to list the
benefits of losing weight and getting in shape. You’re smart, and I’m sure you know there are TONS of them. Life is better when you look good and feel good about yourself.

10. For those who did regain weight, weight regain
was due, at least in part, to failure to maintain
behavior changes. This clearly tells us “diets”
don’t work. If you don’t continue to pay attention
to your health and fitness you will backslide.

There’s a lot of wisdom in these 10 strategies.

In the book Switch by Dan and Chip Heath, they
discuss how one guy helped solve a major
malnutrition problem in Vietnam back in the 90s. He did so by looking at the “bright spots” of other villages without the problem.

He didn’t try to solve all of the other underlying problems; poor sanitation, rampant poverty, ignorance to nutrition, etc… He looked to the villages that did not have any malnourishment followed their success.

You can learn a lot by finding the “bright spots”
and then implement them in your own life.

Stop trying to find more time – you’ll never find it. Stop trying to set aside enough money – you’ll never have enough. Stop trying to fix your problems. Make a few changes that other successful people have done to lose weight.

In addition to the weight loss registry mentioned
above our very own Bootcampers, maybe
some of them your neighbors, are another place to
find bright spots.

Sometimes we need to see the possiblities. We need
the motivation and inspiration of others that have
gone before us.

I hope the findings from 5,000 successful weight loss subjects and that of your very own neighbors motivates you to create change in your own life.

To your weight loss success,

The Bootcamp Team

P.S. So you didn’t start fresh on January 1st. Big deal.
It’s never too late to start. Get your free trial here.

Posted under Fitness Tips, Nutrition Tips, Weight Loss Tips

It’s that time of year!

Time to take an honest assessment of where you are
in life, and decide what you’d like to achieve
in the upcoming year.

It’s a sad fact that the majority of folks NEVER
see those resolutions come to fruition. That’s
why today, I’d like to share with you a few tips
that will help you stick with your resolutions, no
matter what – creating a NEW YOU in 2012!

The major reason people don’t follow through on
their resolutions is FEAR. Change is scary, and
committing to change is a scary endeavor. But
follow these tips and you should be able to nip
fear in the bud and actually accomplish what you
set out to achieve in 2012!

Get Serious - If you make “another resolution”
it’s going to be just that, another resolution.
Make a resolution because you want to change
something. Don’t do it because everyone else is or
because you feel like you have to. Get serious
with yourself and do it because you want to.

Chunk It Down - However big your resolution is,
chunk it down into bite size pieces. Let’s say you
want to lose 80 pounds this year. Chunk that down
into a smaller increment. Try losing 15 pounds in
the first 2 months. Or if you want to improve your
relationships focus on one at a time. This way
you’ll build momentum and have a higher rate of
success.

Relax - You’re setting a resolution to make this
year better than the last. Don’t put yourself on a
tight rope with no net. If you fail with your
resolution you won’t be any worse off than where
you stand today. Take a deep breath and keep it in
perspective.

Have Fun - Yes, this is very important. Think of
something you hate. It could be doing laundry,
cleaning toilets, or even running on a treadmill.
Now picture yourself doing that every day. It’s
terrible! You wouldn’t last. The more fun you can
build into your resolution the easier it will be.

Research - You gotta do your homework. Talk to
your friends. Find out what they’re doing. Find
out what they’ve done. Were they successful? Talk
to your doctor, a personal trainer, a financial
advisor, etc… Get on the internet, read some
books or magazines. Get the info you need to make
your resolution work this year.

Get Help - You can never have enough help. And you
should never be afraid to ask for help. It’s what
smart people do. Telling yourself your resolution
and going it alone is a recipe for failure. Ask
the right questions to the right people and you’ll
be a leg up.

Resolutions are tough. But do not be afraid. If
you’ve failed in the past, try and learn from what
you did wrong and make the necessary changes.

Remember that nothing happens without action.
Action, no matter how small, will help give you
the momentum you need. And once you’ve started
taking action, you’ll have a better understanding
of what you need to do to get to your final
destination.

So this year, set some resolutions… and follow
through until you’ve achieved them!

Happy 2012,
The Bootcamp Team

P.S. If you want help, we’re here for you! Join
us and many other St. Louis women for your free
trial. Starting your day early and exercising
are two great resolutions!

Posted under Fitness Tips, health, Nutrition Tips, Weight Loss Tips

$250,000,000.00 is a lot of dough.

That’s the amount of money companies are making
peddling weight loss suppleme…err… scams.

You may have fallen victim to handing over your
dollars to them. The weight loss results they tout
are staggering. 40 pounds in 30 days, Joe Blow
loses 150 pounds, and many other similar results.
There marketing is very good. Shady at best.
But still good.

25 mil was revenue from ONE company! A
few days ago the FTC filed complaints on 10 other operations just like it.

Which puts it in the HUNDREDS of millions.

The saddest part; the crap they sell doesn’t even
work.

Solve the worlds weight problem and you should get
a BIG check. Sell snake oil and you should go
to jail.

Try as we may, we can’t redefine ourselves
overnight. That’s too easy. If that worked then
all of the late night infomercials and fitness
dvd’s would work.

But you CAN redefine yourself steadily, over time.

A very successful client of mine sold his
business for millions of dollars a few years back.
An article in the paper dubbed him as an overnight
success story. After talking with him, he said the
article gave him a chuckle because in reality they
were “a 10 year overnight success.”

That statement made me think. It opened my eyes
that as much as we might see overnight successes
or hear about 30 day weight loss stories, the
reality is it takes steady, constant, and yes,
disciplined action.

Read that sentence again.

It takes steady, constant, disciplined action.

Let it soak in.

Because until you buy into that you will continue
to search, try, and fail at whatever it is you want to do. And waste a lot of money in the process.

STOP believing in crap. Start accepting diet
and exercise does it.

To your weight loss success,
The Bootcamp Team

P.S. Do you need to lose 10, 20, even 50 pounds or
more? We can help. It’s a proven program that even
your doctor would recommend. Give us a call for more
details, 314.800.7607.

Posted under Fitness Tips, Nutrition Tips, Weight Loss Tips

The fitness industry is one of the fastest growing industries today. And it has continued to be over the last 20+ years. Americans are heavier, less fit, and unhealthier more than ever. Thus giving rise to a myriad of fitness, nutrition, and weight loss solutions. Some good. Some not so good.

The American College of Sports Medicine released
it’s survey results for the top fitness trends of
2012.

I listed a few of the top 20 here with my comments.

Educated and experienced fitness professionals.
This trend will never fade. Trainers aren’t looked
upon just for the Hollywood elite anymore.
Trainers are for everyone. Just as plumbers,
accountants, and dentists are too. Smart people seek solutions to their problems from experts.

Strength training.
Jack LaLanne and Au-nold helped introduce this to
the American landscape. It’s changed a bit but the
foundation is still the same.

Fitness programs for older adults.
Research shows baby boomers to have made more
income leaps than any other generation before. You
can retire with all the money in the world, but if
you can’t enjoy the fruits of it then what’s the use? And you don’t take any of that money with you when you die. Think about it… if you’ve managed to create financial independence then you want to travel, be active and get out and do things. Your health and fitness is vital for that.

Exercise and weight loss.
As I’ve said before, you can’t outwork a bad diet.
You need both diet AND exercise to lose weight.

Children and obesity.
I’ve talked about this many times before. And my conversations with our clients that are Peditricians only bring home this problem even more. This problem continues to grow (no pun intended) and must be addressed.

Core training.
With the majority of Americans suffering from back
pain this is a BIG area of emphasis for us. We sit in front of a computer all day, are less active day to day, and have bigger waistlines. All
of these contribute to poor core strength, bad
posture, and back pain. It can be one of the
easiest fixes… IF it’s done correctly.

Group personal training.
This is why our Bootcamp is so successful! People realize the power of a group and make exercising fun. All of the components of our traditional one-on-one programs exist, but with the energy, fun, and SAVINGS of a group.

Zumba.
I can’t say I’ve tried this myself, but my wife has and she really enjoyed it. We also participate in St. Luke’s Spirit of Women Day of Dance expo. There was an overwhelming turnout and I’ve never seen that many ladies have so much fun! Zumba was a clear favorite.

Functional fitness.
This type of training has exploded over the past few years. It’s seeped its way into all areas of fitness. Functional training is ideal for the golfer wanting to improve his stroke to the stay at home mom wanting strength and mobility to carry kids and groceries.

ACSM lists these as trends, but some will NEVER die. If you’ve been reading my blogs and emails for awhile now then you know your program should consist of strength training, cardio training, and nutrition. Versions and modifications of these will come and go. But the foundation will never change. Real lasting results come from those three.

To your health,
The Bootcamp Team

P.S. Jump on board with one of the top trends of 2012 and request a free Bootcamp trial. Join the other ladies that have totally changed their bodies and their lives.

Posted under Fitness Tips, health, Nutrition Tips, Weight Loss Tips

There was a sad passing in the fitness world
yesterday. Jack LaLanne passed away at 96 years of
age.

Jack was a fitness icon introducing fitness to men
and women long before it was considered cool.

Jack influenced the lives of thousands. He was a
walking example of health. He taught the benefits
of fitness and nutrition throughout one’s life and
even joked a few years back, “I can’t afford to
die. It would wreck my image.”
With all the fitness advice that’s available
today, including my own, I think Jack sums it up
perfectly.

“The only way you can hurt the body is not use
it,” LaLanne said. “Inactivity is the killer and,
remember, it’s never too late.”

Jack’s contribution to the health and fitness
industry will likely never be matched. He was the
ultimate trailblazer. And he not only talked the
talk, but he walked the walk.

When he turned 43 in 1957, he performed more than
1,000 push-ups in 23 minutes. At 60, he swam from
Alcatraz Island to Fisherman’s Wharf in San
Francisco, handcuffed, shackled and towing a boat.
Ten years later, he performed a similar feat in
Long Beach harbor.

The guy was a health and fitness stud. And he’ll
be missed.

Rest in peace Jack.

Posted under Fitness Tips, Nutrition Tips, Weight Loss Tips

My blog post last week was about Drew Carey’s 80
pound weight loss. I revealed his fatal flaw to
lasting results. Nonetheless, he’s doing a lot
right.

But this week John Goodman has lost a reported 100
pounds! And he has done it the RIGHT way.

Let’s talk about how he did it.

His Turning Point

“It’s been constant. It’s always been in the back
of my mind. It just ate at me the whole time. That
may be part of the reason I shoved food in my
mouth so much. That satisfaction.”

When John got a role in Santa Clause he said
enough was enough. But he finally wised up and
didn’t set the ever-futile New Year’s resolution.
He hired a trainer and got on a program.

Whether you have a specific turning point or not,
you MUST decide enough is enough.

His Nutrition

“I had to clear out my own house first. It was
built on a bad foundation.”
“…But also fresh vegetables, lean protein… I’m
not a real hard-on about keeping strict calorie
counts. I know what’s in my wheelhouse, what I can
eat and what I can’t. And I’m satisfied eating it.
I cannot tolerate sugar. I crossed over to the
diabetic side, but I can’t tolerate it anyway
because it creates hunger.”

Spot on John. First fix the foundation. Get rid of
the crap. Now he’s getting protein and cutting the
sugar. Very important. And if you notice his
nutrition is supportive to his exercise.

His Alcohol

“Alcohol is alcohol. I’m an alcoholic. I would
drink no matter what. That’s just part of being an
alcoholic.”
“…and the big key was drinking.”

Goodman has cut out alcohol completely. The
problem with alcohol is not the calories or how
many carbs are in your beer. That’s marketing
hype.

Alcohol inhibits your metabolism. And your
metabolism is your body’s process for burning the
fat. If you want to lose weight and get in shape,
cut out the alcohol.

His Identity

This is very important and I probably don’t give
it as much attention as I should. I’ve talked to
men and women over the years that feel as if their
weight helps identify themselves. If your weight
helps identify you, i.e. being the ‘big cuddly
bear’ or defines you in any way, then YOU WILL NOT
LOSE WEIGHT.

I’m not being a cold s.o.b. here. I’m being
honest. How you define yourself will dictate how
you think, act and live your life. I identify
myself as being a healthy guy. Will I always be
healthy? Yeah, I probably will. I may eat a donut
from time to time, but I won’t let myself become
grossly unhealthy. Because that’s not how I define
myself.

So if you identify yourself with being ‘the big
guy’ or in some other way with your weight; you
won’t lose it. You might lose some for a period of
time, but you WILL gain it back.

So… on weight being apart of his persona and
being worried about losing his weight and having
people perceive him differently in the acting
realm…

“Hey, that’s too bad. I’ll scream and cry when I’m
in the unemployment line, but that’s really
secondary. I am what I am. I can act at different
weights. It’s a miracle I was hired at all for a
lot of these jobs.”

Don’t let ANYONE tell you who you are and what you
can or can’t do. Ever!

His Exercise

All cardio John?

“This time we mixed in strength training with
resistance bands. They’re great for me because I
can contract and release slower, and that builds
up better muscle for me.”

“I was doing a job in New Orleans twice a week
called Treme. I was only working a couple days a
week. I wanted to treat this other thing
(exercise) like a job–to get healthy.”

This speaks to how much he’s exercising. I wish
more people took their health and fitness as
serious as John has.

His Effort

Does he like it?

“I do. I’m still a sucker for highs, and I get
those endorphins. It’s just a feeling of well-
being. I’m where I’m supposed to be. I’m doing
what I should be doing. I feel good. I’m hopefully
extending my life. Before, I didn’t care.”

Being fit, firm and strong; able to handle stress
or any situation that comes your way; not just
looking good, but feeling good… that’s when you
have it all. That’s when life is at it’s best!

But I can’t adequately describe to you what being
fit feels like. That feeling must be experienced.

There are a TON of lessons to be taken from John’s
weight loss journey. I hope you pick them all up.
Of course the 80/20 rule will apply to these
lessons.

Many will read this and say, “Well, he’s a
Hollywood actor, with money, and time, and blah,
blah, blah.” And those people won’t do a thing.
They’ll stay the same. Stagnant. Inactive.
Unchanged.

The other camp will take this as another success
story (yes, I have given you others) to model and
motivate and make a change in their life. What you
do is your decision. But I hope you decide wisely.

If you haven’t signed up for a free trial you can reserve your spot here.

Posted under Fitness Tips, Nutrition Tips, Weight Loss Tips

I emailed this lesson on Father’s Day and totally skipped posting it to the blog. So excuse the timliness of it. But I think the lesson is worth the tardiness.

First, I want to wish all of the dads out there,
especially my dad, a Happy Father’s Day. We’re
blessed and thankful to have you in our lives.
Second, I have a weight loss tip for you today.
And appropriately, it’s a tip I learned from my dad.

My dad was the one that spurred my health
kick. He bought me my first set of weights.
He’d make me a healthy lunch for school. But most
importantly, he taught me health and fitness by example.

He went to the gym a minimum of 5 days a week. He
would always make sure we had veggies with dinner. Don’t get me wrong, he would still bring home donuts on Saturday morning, but all in all, he was a healthy example to follow. And that’s the tip I want to share with you today. Learn by example.

I bet I can guess how successful you are with your
weight loss and fitness goals by taking a look at
the examples you follow.

Those examples will influence your actions and
behaviors. They will have the greatest effect on
you. Sometimes whether you choose it or not.
For instance, wouldn’t you want to follow the
example of someone that’s been successful
with weight loss versus someone that hops
from one diet to the next always struggling to
keep the weight off?

The examples you have in your life will utlimately
influence your actions.

I am the man I am today because of my dad. He
didn’t sit me down one day and say, “Tim, this is
how you be a man.” Not at all.

But I did learn how to work hard. I did learn how
to treat a lady. I did learn how to sacrifice. I
learned all of this from his example.
You can learn the same way. Doesn’t matter if it’s
weight loss, fishing, or sewing. If you
watch, observe, and follow a good example, chances
are you’ll be just as good.

Good examples are a great way to learn. Take some
time now to think about the examples you have when
it comes to your weight loss. Are they good examples to follow? Will they help you move closer to your goal? If not, I suggest you find others to follow. If you need a good example to follow come spend a week with my team and I. We’ll quickly show you the path to weight loss!

P.S. If you don’t have a good example to follow or have been unsuccessful with your weight loss click here for a support. You’ll receive a free trial to our bootcamp and see for yourself how being around like minded women with a common goal is very beneficial to your weight loss and fitness.

Posted under Fitness Tips, Weight Loss Tips

Let me get straight to the point. Because it’s likely you experienced the symptoms of the disease I’m talking about over the holiday weekend.

I’ve been a proponent for ending this disease my entire adult life. It hits home with me. Maybe because it’s deadly. It won’t necessarily take your life. But it will take your quality of life.

I’m talking about the ‘Disease of Decision’ as it relates to your health and fitness. Sometimes it’s not obesity, diabetes, or cholesterol that affects our lives. Sometimes it’s just our own daily battle of choices.
I bet you had a decision to BBQ this weekend. To eat, drink, relax and enjoy the time off. You also had a decision to have a couple of cold Bud Lights and eat those delicious store bought cookies. And a decision to exercise with the time off. Or to do something active with your family.

What decisions did you make?

I won’t lie to you, decisions are not easy. No one wants to go for a jog when you have a good excuse to eat and drink. And pushing yourself as hard as you should or working out for as long as you should, that’s tough too.

But your decision doesn’t lie in what you should do. That’s the easy part. The real decision lies in what you want with yourself and your life. If you want to live well, to really get all you can from life, then decisions such as exercising and passing on cookies become easy. If you want to stop gaining weight and fit into the pants you still have in your closet, then those decisions aren’t a second thought.

The remedy for the ‘Disease of Decision’ is having a Reason Why and a clear focus on your goals. When that is at your foundation it eliminates the dis-ease of deciding what you should do. It’s already been decided.

Take this and call me in the morning

If you suffer from the ‘Disease of Decision’ try this… Sit down tonight and write out the reasons why you want to lose weight and get in shape. Give this some thought. Is it because you want to make it through a day without being so doggone tired? Or maybe you just want to look good again, or be able to age well and play with your grandkids. Whatever it is, put it down on paper. Set a clear vision of how you want your life to look in terms of your health and fitness. Make sure you have laser sharp focus. Then call us.

Seriously, call us.

Your Reason Why is the first step to a better you. The second is starting a program that works. We can help you do that. We cannot however, help you decide to DO IT.

So sit down tonight and find your reason why. Write out a few goals and why they’re important to you. Then call tomorrow or click here.

We want to help you dial this in. No more excuses. No more putting this off. Get started today!

One more thing…

As bad as the ‘Disease of Decision’ can be, don’t let indecision get you. Not deciding at all is worse than saying yes or no. If you’re not ready to lose weight then tell yourself that. When the time is right you’ll be primed to decide yes and your commitment will be stronger.

Posted under Fitness Tips

I received an email from one of my mentors
last week. He was using the problem I’m
referring to in a different light. But
immediately I realized it’s the biggest problem
mother’s face. Here’s what he said…

“Author and motivational/self actualization guru,
Larry Winget, has a book out that I recommend to
you. It’s called “No Time For Tact.” Great title.

VERY serious advice that cannot be overlooked for
long or you *will* pay the price.”

I think he’s spot on. But this is THE biggest and
most common problem I hear from mothers.

I firmly believe we’d be lost without our mothers.
They always put themselves on the bottom
of the totem pole and serve others first.

But it shouldn’t be that way. And it doesn’t have to be
either. I just finished meeting with Jennifer Janson. She
trained with us last year and came back in to get get
re-started.

Jennifer runs her own ‘company’ of 6 at home. Plus
her husband. When she went on hiatus from FT, she
realized that going it alone and doing it on her own was
not realistic. Too much distraction. Too much room for
error. Too much time. She was better when she had a
disciplined and structured exercise routine. It was time
for her. No one else to think about. No one else to tend to.

FT helps leverage her health and fitness. And she
knows her family is better served because of it.

This is even more important with your health, your
fitness, and your weight loss. You will serve
others better (spouse, kids, friends, etc…) if
you serve yourself first.

How to be effectively “selfish”:

Plug these into your calendar first:

- Your personal down time
- Your workouts
- Your nutrition
- Your sleep

And then be discplined about
honoring and protecting that time. Will it
be perfect? No. It never will be. But you
can certainly strive for it.

If you are married, have kids, work a lot of
hours, there are always others to tend to. It
takes discipline and commitment or your time can
soon fade away.

Gotta guard against that – at all costs.

Here’s to the Mom’s out there!

P.S. If you think this is only applicable to mothers
you’re sorely mistaken. Make sure you take time
for yourself, your health, your fitness, and watch
your care for others improve!

P.P.S. Would you like help being ‘selfish’? Would you
like a way to leverage your health and fitness? See
how Jennifer does it by clicking here.

Posted under Fitness Tips, health, Personal

You may have caught my segment on KMOV’s
Great Day St. Louis on Monday. If not, you can
see the 5 common fitness mistakes
I revealed to Matt Chambers.

Check it out below. #2 is a biggie. Watch for it
with 4:45 remaining. Also, Julia demonstrates
one of my favorite exercises. Can you guess which
of the three it is?

Are you making any of these mistakes? If so, we can help! Come join us for a FREE Boot Camp class. Come out and have some fun and get fit. Investigate, then decide. Hope to see you soon!

Posted under Fitness Tips, Weight Loss Tips