Obstacle Course Race Training Ideas

There are so many great race events out there involving obstacles. There are fun ones, tough ones, long ones, extreme ones...it seems like there's something for everyone. What everyone needs to know is that these races will challenge you, so you'd better prepare!

Overall 'fitness' may not be enough. Obstacle courses will challenge muscles that you may not be used to using, and test your endurance in ways that you haven't been tested. To prepare effectively, get the body used to cardiovascular output while using your muscles. Crawling, pulling, pushing, and running are all components that you're likely to face. If you have the luxury of access to climbing cargo nets, scaling walls, and borrowing through pipes, then use it! If not, then the following obstacle course training ideas will help to get you physically prepared to take on your race, and mentally prepared to know what you can expect.

Ultimate Bootcamper Diane crawling under barbed wire

Train for Crawling

You may be familiar with Bear Crawls, Spider Crawls, Crab Walks...all sorts of ways to build strength while moving across the ground. Get down on all fours and, keeping your hips low to the ground, 'walk' a distance of 20-50 yards, depending on your fitness ability. Repeat 2-3 times.

Pulling out All the Stops
Find a pull-up bar or chin-up bar, and haul yourself up off the ground. Varying your hand positions will help to broaden the base of muscle strength; face palms away for a set, then towards you for a set. Aim to get to the point of being able to complete a set in the double digits, and repeat it 3 times. If you don't have access to a bar, use the Lat-Pull machine or weight stack at the gym. You can also add in some back flies: take a weight in each hand (dumbbell, can of beans, etc), bend forward from the hips until your back is parallel with the ground and your arms are hanging towards the ground, and slowly lift your arms out to the side (skyward), and lower back down. Aim to bring the shoulder blades around your spine, and keep your neck relaxed.

Pushing for Chest Strength
Most pushing motions require chest strength, including crawling on all fours. Push-ups are an extremely effective way to train, so get plenty of them into your workout immediately. Mix it up - hands close and below your shoulders, hands wide, outside your shoulders, decline with your feet on a bench, incline with your hands on a bench. Aim for 3-4 sets, with 15-20 reps in each set.

Running for Obstacle Course Races
The thing about running during an obstacle race is that you don't just ...well...get to run. You have to make it through/over/under obstacles too! So - in between all of the sets above, run. Mix the running up; choose a short distance and run it fast, or a little slower over a longer distance. Mix lower body exercises in there to increase leg strength and stamina; lunges, squats, and step-ups are all terrific ways to strengthen your lower body. Here's an example of a set you might try:

12 Push-ups;

Bear Crawl 20 yards;

Sprint 100 yards;

12 Back Flies;

10 Squats;

Run back to your start point, and repeat.

Core strength is vital to a strong gait, so be sure to add in ab exercises whenever possible. Holding a 30-60 second plank is a great way to hit a lot of muscle groups at once - core, upper, and lower body.

This type of workout can commonly be found at Ultimate Bootcamp's outdoor fitness programs, where a four-week span will also give you the momentum you're looking for to improve and grow. Whether you're looking to complete your first obstacle race, or you're aiming to smoke your previous best time, having the guidance of an expert Trainer in a results-driven environment is what you can expect, in the one-hour boot camp workouts.

As with any workout, be sure to warm up and stretch first. Your Number 1 goal on race day is to be healthy and injury-free. Jog or run for about 8-10 minutes, and stretch all of the muscles you're planning on using that day. Take the time to do so; your body will thank you!

Have fun out there!

Detox Diets. To Cleanse or not to Cleanse

Many of us, at some point, have turned to liquid diets, colon cleansing, detox teas, detox shakes, laxatives, herbal formulas and other methods to "purify" our bodies and lose weight fast.  But do detox diets work?

Holiday Weight Gain still got you down?  Feeling bloated and tired? Getting Red Carpet Ready?

Although most of us aren't in the throws of big Hollywood pressure to lose weight for a Red Carpet event, it sometimes feels that way.  And with many celebrities admittedly turning to extreme weight loss and liquid diets, some small part of us wants to believe that detox diets are a safe way for us to lose weight.

Take Beyonce Knowles for example. In her role for the movie Dreamgirls, the singer and actress explained to Oprah Winfrey how she lost weight to portray her character's younger, teenage self   "I did a fast—a master cleanser for 14 days."

The results of Beyonce's cleanse came, not surprisingly, with side effects.  "Everybody was eating Krispy Kremes around me. I was grouchy, but I did it and I lost the weight." she said.

"So I might get a little grouchy", you think to yourself.   "A detox diet is totally worth it if I can lose a few pounds."  But what you rarely hear about is the long-term weight loss effects of cleansing. It wasn't long before Beyonce transformed from her unsustainable movie role weight back into her gorgeous bootylicious self.

Let's see if we can find detox diets that work for long-term weight loss.

Defining Detoxification
Every year we breathe in thousands of pollutants, are exposed to chemical cleaners, BPA, dioxins and consume artificial preservatives, pesticides and hormones in our food.  UGH! Disgusting...but true!

Some people detox to remove these harmful toxins from the body.  In some cultures detox or fasting is a form of spiritual purification. In modern times the pressure to have celebrity-perfect bodies has led many to cleansing diets for weight loss.

Advocates of detox diets claim that our bodies were not made for today's world of fast food and pollution.  They subscribe to detoxification methods to purify the body of "extra" toxins to increase energy, eliminate bloating, reduce fatigue, and lose weight.

There are hundreds of variations of cleansing. Some detox methods sound completely ridiculous to the informed consumer like the grapefruit juice and cayenne pepper cleanse.  But some forms of detoxification don't sound so bad.  You can cleanse by eliminating "toxic" foods (alcohol, caffeine, meat and dairy) or drinking fiber-filled vegetable juice for a prescribed amount of time, or even take laxatives to cleanse your body.  How do you know which detox methods you should avoid and which are good for long-term weight loss?

Dieticians and medical experts claim that most detoxification methods are too extreme for the body and too short-lived to have long-term results. After all, the body has a natural detoxification system - your kidneys, liver and the gastrointestinal tract.  If all is in good working order with your body, you have all the tools you need to lose weight and remove toxins. Instead of short-term solutions that could be dangerous, physicians suggest changing your diet to include more fruits and vegetables and to gradually eliminate "junk food" from your daily regime completely.

But in an instant gratification world, that's not what we want to hear.

And why shouldn't you think that?  Even Celebrity Trainers have been lured by the promise of quick weight loss.

In Jillian Michael's book Making the Cut, the Biggest Loser Trainer shares how a 7 day fast left her eight pounds lighter. But in just two weeks Jillian gained 15 pounds back...TWICE as much as she lost while fasting!!!  It was a grueling 6 month journey for her to lose the weight by changing her diet for good.

Why did Jillian's body react like this?  Let's take a look at what happens to your body while detoxing.  

What Science says about Detox Diets
Science tells us the weight you might lose during cleansing - if you lose any weight at all - is NOT fat loss.  As the numbers on the bathroom scale go down, you're losing water weight (which you'll re-gain after you stop the cleanse) and calorie-burning lean muscle (because you probably don't have enough energy to work out).  Your hormones are out of whack. Your body is under stress. And you're mad hungry.

In other words, most detox diets leave you dehydrated and fatigued as you cry holding your flabby muscles wishing you had a slice of pizza....not quite the sexy weight loss story you were after.

Other dangers are abundant as most cleansing diets eliminate vital nutrients our bodies need to perform basic functions. Especially at risk are teens, pregnant or breastfeeding women, those with chronic diseases and on certain medications.

There isn't a short-term detox diet that provides long-term weight loss solutions, except...

"Safe" Detox Diet Alternatives

With many different definitions of cleansing abound, I will submit that not all are inherently bad.  There are upsides to some "gentle" types of detox diets that are supervised by dietitians. Plus, it's been shown that detox diets could bring awareness to potentially less-than-ideal lifestyle habits. More awareness is one of the key steps to change. Here are some ways to detox your life for good!

• Try "cleansing" your life by creating new, healthy habits and eliminating unhealthy, old ones.
• Consume foods rich in fiber like vegetables, fruits and whole grain on a daily basis.
•  Keep a food journal to help you self-regulate foods that make you feel "toxic"
• Commit to a weekly work out routine to keep your metabolism in-check.

Remember, short-lived solutions don't stick. 

Instead of committing your time to a 3 day cleanse, spend that time planning for a more balanced, nutritious forever-diet. Because as Beyonce will tell you, it is ultimately her commitment to morning workouts and healthy food that keeps her body rockin', not the detox diet that left her craving Krispy Kremes.

Double Your Weight Loss

How one simple, proven trick can help bootcampers lose more weight!

If you know me, you know that I'm super-skeptical of any "get skinny quick" shortcuts that marketing companies feed the public.  Often, they're filled with empty promises and can be quite dangerous - not to mention bizarre...cabbage soup diet anyone???

When working with clients one-on-one to help them lose weight, I have a golden rule that helps them get even greater results: Thou Shalt Keep Track of Your Diet.

While I get a lot of moans and groans in the beginning, you can bet your muffin top there isn't one of my clients who wasn't amazed by the results they got when they kept a food diary. What do I know that they don't?  Writing down EVERYTHING that you eat and drink has been scientifically proven to DOUBLE YOUR WEIGHT LOSS!

In one weight loss study of 1,700 people, two-thirds of the subjects lost 9 pounds or more over the course of 6 months.  But those who tracked everything they ate, lost TWICE as much weight as those who didn't track every day.


Think you're eating "healthy"?
I bet many of you think that a food journal won't work for you.  You "don't eat that bad" or "eat pretty healthy", right? But the truth of the matter is there is ALWAYS room for improvement.  Keeping a food diary helps create awareness of what you're actually eating. Not what you "think" you're eating, but what you're REALLY eating. The calories from the orange juice you had with breakfast, the dressing you put on your salad and the "few bites" of your partner's dessert can add up to an extra 300 calories per day.  Multiply that over 365 days and you could gain four and a half pounds in one year! 

Hidden Calories Revealed
Do you know how many calories are in your favorite cocktail?  What about your go-to energy bar or your famous lasagna? When coupled with counting calories and nutrients, food diaries become an important educational tool.  That's why I'm an advocate of weight loss programs like Weight Watchers. They educate you about the quality and quantity of food you're eating.  But you don't need weekly meetings to start empowering yourself today.  Keeping a food diary can help you make healthier food substitutes and navigate through the grocery aisles as an informed consumer.

Remember to combine exercise with diet. Those who use diet alone to slim down lose one of their best calorie-burning tools: their muscles! Tone muscles in 4-weeks with Ultimate Bootcamp

Mindless Eating
Did you REALLY just sneak back to the conference room to eat the last cookie from your earlier meeting?!?!  Maybe not, but I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that I have! With the abundance of available food in America, we don't think twice about heading to the fridge...even if we aren't hungry.  Stress, boredom or the need to take a break (re: the "cookie incidence" above), can lead us to mindless eating. Writing down everything you eat, every day, helps you think twice about the food choices you might subconsciously be making.

How to Start a Food Diary
Keeping a food diary might seem cumbersome at first, so here are some tips to making the transition fit into your life.

• How long should you track?
  If you'd simply like to educate yourself and make some small changes to your diet, I'd suggest keeping a food diary for 2 weeks.  If you have goals of losing weight or that last layer of fat you can't seem to shed, keep track for 4-8 weeks.  After that set time period, re-evaluate your goals and decide if you'd like to continue.
• Your Tracking Medium
  An artist might prefer to work in clay rather than acrylics. You might prefer good ol' pen and paper rather than online calorie counters. However you choose to track your food journal, ask yourself "will this method work for me no matter where I am and who I'm with".
• Get to It
  You might be surprised how many "meals" per day you might eat - anywhere from 4 to 8 meals isn't uncommon!  Each time you eat something that is 30 minutes from the last time you ate is considered a meal.  So your day might look something like this:
  

  1. 6:15am - 16 oz latte, 2% milk
  2. 8:20am - Blueberry Muffin, small banana,8 oz orange juice
  3. 12:00pm - Veggie Pizza slice, small side salad w/tomatoes, mushroom, carrots, 1 tbsp Italian dressing, Orange/Mango yogurt smoothie
  4. 2:45pm - Diet Coke
  5. 4:15pm - Handful Almonds, big apple
  6. 7:30pm - Chicken Tikka Masala, medium bowl, garlic naan, 2 glasses of wine

  When tracking meals, don't skip over the small things.  Dressings, sauces, side dishes, candy, drinks...it all matters!!!  Don't know exactly what foods are in your restaurant meal? Ask! While the wait staff might be a little surprised by your request, simply tell them you have "special dietary needs".  Which, in all honesty, is the truth!  Don't be afraid to ask questions, "inconvenience" your server or take charge of your nutrition when you're amongst your peers.  YOU are the ONLY PERSON in this world who is in charge of your weight and your body!!
  
  If you want to enhance your food diary, make notes about how you felt before or after the meal. For example, "got tired 60 minutes after eating", "had a headache, needed a caffeine boost", "ugh, indigestion", "energized!", "satisfied, not stuffed".  You might begin to see some patterns forming that you otherwise might not have realized. Try incorporating more of the food combinations that make you feel good and less of the ones that make you feel bad.
• Go the Distance
  Tracking your calories as well? An Internet or app store search for "calorie counters" will reveal many options.  You'll happily find calorie counting tools that not only will give you the calorie counts based upon the amount of food you ate, but that will let you store and track your food diary online.  Sometimes they call these tools "calorie trackers" or, you guessed it, "food diaries". With an online food diary, you can create a "favorite food" list which is a huge time saver.  That way you don't have to research the calorie count for every single ingredient in your favorite recipes every time you cook.
• Kick the Struggle with Support
  Let others in on your weight loss secret!  If you're not a professional food critic,  your fellow diners  might find it odd you scribble in a notebook after every meal. Ask your partner, friends and family for encouragement to help you stick with your food diary.

If you find that a food diary alone isn't enough to help you reach your goals, seek out support from professionals in your neighborhood.  Weight Management Coaches and Nutrition Counselors can help you develop a food plan that works with your schedule, tastes and lifestyle.  And since you're already keeping a food diary, you'll have a head start! If part of the reason you're keeping a food diary is medically related - to help reduce bloating, diarrhea or stomach discomfort or regulate disease - seek the help of a Registered Dietitian or Physician. They have the tools and knowledge to get you on track and double your weight loss!

---

Jill Tomich is is a Certified Lifestyle & Weight Management Coach and co-founder of Ultimate Bootcamp. She clearly has a sweet spot for sweets and cookies and is going to keep a food diary for the next 2 weeks to see how she can improve her own diet!

5 Healthy Ways to "Treat Yo Self" in Boston

I'm a huge fan of the NBC hit television comedy "Parks and Recreation".  In a recent episode, Donna (Retta Sirleaf) and Tom (Aziz Ansari) celebrate their yearly ritual of dedicating an entire day to treating themselves to the good things in life. Take a peek at this video clip from the show.



So I wanted to share with you 5 ways you can "Treat Yo Self" in Boston...in a healthy way of course :o)

1. Love Alive Smoothie @ Life Alive Urban Oasis & Organic Cafe in Cambridge
   Life Alive has a delicious array of organic food for every kind of diet: vegan, vegetarian, macrobiotic, and gluten-free.  But I'm in love with their Love Alive Smoothie made with Blueberry, Strawberry, Banana, Dates, and Almond Milk. It's filled with antioxidants and it's dairy-free making it the perfectly healthy dessert.
   Treat Yo Self!
   
2. Green Cleaning Maid Service from Healthy Homes Cleaning
   I can't say that I know anyone who loves cleaning their house.  So why not leave it to the experts to get your home sparkling fresh sans the harsh chemicals.  Healthy Homes Cleaning will spiffy up your Eastern Massachusetts pad with their all-natural, environmentally-friendly cleaning products.
   Treat Yo Self!
   
3. Enjoy good-looking BPA Free hydration with Hydros Bottles
   Get fresh water on the go with the super-cool, built-in filter water bottle from Hydros.  One filter can save as many as 200 bottles of water from entering the landfill, plus $1 of every purchase helps fund clean water projects around the globe. You can pick one up from Marathon Sports for about $25.
   Treat Yo Self! (and help others)
   
4. Get a Deep Tissue Massage from Michael Moore
   Boston spas know how to pamper. But a massage from Moore Massage on Newbury Street can do so much more for your body - increase circulation, help release Trigger Points (knots), manage chronic pain, reduce stress and well, I can't say enough about it! Warning, you will be addicted to how wonderful your body will feel afterwards.
   Treat Yo Self!
   
5. Organic Produce delivered to your doorstep from Boston Organics
   For as little as $29, you can have AMAZING, FRESH, LOCALLY-HARVESTED, IN-SEASON produce delivered once per week to your house!  Forget the last minute, ravenous trips to the grocery store after work. Boston Organics will have a bountiful, healthy array of fruits and veges waiting on your doorstep when you get home.
   Treat Yo Self!

Ski and Snowboard Workout: Balance & Stability (Video)

Ultimate Bootcamp Co-Founders Jill Tomich and Peter Lavelle shows skiers and snowboarders how to increase their stability and balance out there on the slopes. 

The first day of the season on the slopes can be brutal.  Creaky joints.  Sore muscles.  5 year old kids bombing down the hill faster than you.  But it doesn't have to be that way!  Ultimate Bootcamp can help you get prepared for the New England Ski Season.

Ultimate Bootcamp is pumped to be doing a live Ski and Snowboard Clinic this year in Boston. (See website for dates and details.)  You can join our Trainers for an awesome outdoor workout and learn a TON of new exercises.  Plus, you'll learn how to avoid some of the BIGGEST mistakes skiers and boarders make that lead to injury.

Get a sneak peek of the clinic here, in this Ski and Snowboard Balance and Stability Video