The 12 Excuses of Christmas (or whatever holiday you like to celebrate!)

by Doug Betts and Pila Cadena

Just for fun, I decided to make a list of some of my favorite excuses for NOT sticking to you program over the holidays. 

Read at your own risk.  I would hate to think I've contributed to your festive delinquency!

Don't Sweat The Small Stuff

You can't take much more. It's a quarter to three on a Monday that's already involved you spilling hot coffee on your lap, running late for work, and a guilt trip from your mother about not coming home for the holidays. You need a quick pick-me-up to turn your mood around. What would really do the trick is a stop at the drive thru for a milkshake or a fresh order of hot fries.  OK, maybe even the month-old bag of probably-stale pretzels that's buried at the bottom of your desk drawer.

Sound familiar?

Stressing out can cause people to gain weight, according to a study appearing in the July 15th issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Click here to read the rest of this article on our website at www.cfscamp.com.

Thanks for being part of the Core Family,
The Core Fitness Team

Not-So-Hidden Calories From Alcohol

Hoping to stave off weight gain in the coming weeks? You may want to hold off on the mulled wine and cocktails this holiday season, according to a new report that looked at the number of calories Americans get from alcoholic beverages.

See more: https://www.cfscamp.com/blog/2013/nov/not-so-hidden-calories-from-alcohol/

Article Source: -New York Times

15 Tips for Holiday Eating Without Weight Gain

Trying to survive the holiday season without increasing your waist-line? Read these 15 holiday eating tips that will help you avoid holiday weight gain and enjoy the season more while eating less.

Abdominal Training for Tri's

All three disciplines of triathlon require core stabilization and strength.

Strong core musculature allows you as an athlete to keep your body streamline in the water, maintain a comfortable bike position and complete an efficient run. Core strength will also assist with generating, absorbing and stabilizing forces which occur during your bike and run. Moreover, increasing your core strength will decrease your risk for an overuse injury, such as low-back pain and IT band syndrome. Your core is your foundation, and without it, your form will collapse and suffer. If your form collapses, your chance for injury increases.

Unfortunately, most athletes avoid or limit core exercises during their performance training.

Click to Read More...

Training Through an Injury

When you’ve finally got a good fitness routine going, and injury strikes just when you’re enjoying it, it can not only be an awful feeling but can also put a severe dent in all your best laid plans. 

Whether you enjoy your workouts, or whether you workout just to stay in shape, injury time is hard on everyone and bouncing out of it without losing your gusto is quite a challenge.

 Read Training Through an Injury at CFS Fitness

10 Easy Family Fitness Ideas

The holiday season is quickly approaching, which means our focus is more on spending time with  family and possibly less time at the gym. It’s a great time to change up (add to) your fitness routine.

The New England Journal of Medicine reports that on average, Americans gain between 7-10 pounds from Thanksgiving thru New Year's Eve.

Here are 10 easy ways for you and your family to avoid weight gain during the holidays.

Sprinting

When I tell most people about sprinting, the usual response I get is that they don’t care about being fast, they just want to lose weight. They continue to trudge away on the treadmill or elliptical at a long, slow, slightly uncomfortable pace and then wonder why they aren’t getting the results they want.


When we do cardio, we want to shed fat, but we don't want to lose muscle tissue in the process. Click here to read the complete article...

The connection between Sleep and Weight Loss

Have you ever heard the expression, "I'll sleep when I'm dead"? It's not too far from the truth.

For many people, their sleep and the rest of their health gets put on the back burner. As a society we have filled our schedules to the brim and expect to recharge our bodies with artificial fuels such as caffeine and sugary treats. Surveys suggest that Americans get 6.5 hours of sleep per night. That kind of consistent lack of sleep can put the body high risk for sleep deprivation, chemical imbalances and other health complications.

Read More at CFS Fitness & Weight Loss Camp...

Benefits of Strength Training

One of the first things I hear from people when I tell them that we’re going to strength train is, I don’t want to be strong, and I just want to be in shape. What most people fail to realize is if you are not strong then you are not fit.

I don’t care how skinny you are, if you don’t have the ability to correctly squat your own body weight or pickup something relatively heavy, then you are not fit. Read "The Benefits of Strength Training" by clicking here.


 

What's Wrong With "Failure Is Not An Option"?

Do you remember the line from Apollo 13, where the character played by Ed Harris says "Failure is NOT an option?"  It's one of my favorite movie lines of all time, but there's a catch ... I disagree with it! 

While in a life-or-death situation, it makes sense to shrug off any thought of being anything less than successful - however, what happens in the gym on a day to day basis and your fitness goals are not life-or-death... At least not in the immediate sense!

See the rest of this article here...

You can fall apart or pull it together. Your choice.

What instrument do you play?

"It's one thing to be positive in a positive environment.  It’s another to be an instrument of change in a negative environment."  - John Maxwell

What instrument are you playing through your life? Is it playing a tune you're happy with? 

Click here to read more...

The failure is not in the fall

“The failure is not in the fall.  The failure is in allowing our fall to keep us down and control our lives.  I’m never down.  I’m either up or getting up.” -  John Maxwell

Remember the mistake and learn what you can to keep from repeating it, but start moving forward and declare your victory...

Fitness: Back to the Future

I chose this title to illustrate the paradox that achieving health, fitness, and wellness has become.  The irony is that your future in fitness lies in a seemingly ancient concept: patience. 

Dave Ramsey once quoted his preacher as saying, “Living right is not complicated. It may be difficult, but it is not complicated." The same is true of health/fitness/wellness. 

Read more to learn the formula for achieving results and how to apply it...

Takin' Care of Business

Okay … I get it.  For years, I’ve been telling you that all you have to do is make your health a priority … that this would magically give you enough time to get in your workouts.  I suppose I was living in some sort of a dream world because as I was preaching this, my life was becoming more and more hectic.  It got to the point where I was missing workouts. 

The lack of control in my life got to the point where my workouts became more and more sporadic, then finally non-existent.  Of course, with the lack of workouts, came ... Read the rest of this article on the CFS Fitness & Weight Loss Camp Blog.

The Truth About Skechers Fitness Shoes!

At Last!!! I was delighted to see this article in the Tampa Bay Times last week. I have been telling clients for years that "tone-up" shoes do not work. Skechers' fitness shoes claim that by wearing their shoes, a person can change their muscle tone significantly without ever stepping into a gym.

Click to read the rest of this article here...

How to Attain Buns of Steel

Shape up those GLUTES!!!!

This workout will be great for anyone who wants to tighten and strengthen their glutes as well as improve their glute/hamstring tie in...  Click Here for the Full Story >

Seared Summer Salmon!

Seared Summer Salmon!

Click to view the recipe!

Succeed on Your Terms

Ever gone to a scary movie? Been on a roller coaster?  Ever gone bungee jumping or sky diving? 

What in our right minds could make us do such things?!?! 

Click to read more about Succeeding on Your Terms.

The Top Success Tool You're Not Using ...

"If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail." -Abraham Maslow


Okay... What do you think I mean when I say "fitness tool?" (I really hope that's not what you call me behind my back!).

Maybe you picture dumbbells  ... Perhaps an Olympic bar and some weight plates leap into your mind ... Your thoughts could drift to selected machines ... The more imaginative of you may even picture lean, healthy food.

I'm here to tell you that, while all of these things are indeed tools, none of them are as important as what I'm about to tell you about right now.

Click Here to see the full story...

Mind Your Own Fitness

Among the most frustrating of obstacles you'll face when sharing your health and fitness goals with  friends, family, and acquaintances is the fact that everybody wants to give you advice!

I came across this phenomenon when dealing with a client recently.  The previous week, I had spoken about my philosophies about gradual, incremental adoption of habits versus taking on everything at once... Click to read the full story on our CFS Fitness Blog.

Slow Down!

There's so much talk today about getting fit quickly, with minimal effort and an emphasis on aesthetic beauty over health. 

Marketing messages abound with promises of thin thighs in 30 days ... washboard abs without crunches ... take this pill and don't change a thing about your lifestyle.  Marketers, who have done fantastic job of creating a problem that doesn't exist, have gone so far as to...  Click Here to Read the Full Story on our CFS Fitness Blog.

What's YOUR motivation?

The following is modified from a response I recently emailed a former camper who was finding the journey particularly challenging.  

I've redacted the name (since I never asked permission to use it!), but I thought there might be others who could gain something from these words...  

Weight Loss is a heck of a journey (click to read more)...

Why "Maintenance" is a Formula for Failure

Straight lines don't exist.  They are, in fact, theoretical.  

Now you may encounter lines from time to time that seem straight, but if you continue them long enough, they will veer.  The Earth, being round and all, pretty much sees to it that nothing will travel in a straight line, that's of course if gravity can be overcome.  Consider this, a machine would be considered to be more reliable that humans to produce these straight lines, but even the most precise machinery in the world, namely the space shuttle, spends an estimated 97% of its time correcting it's course ... achieving more of a zig-zag pattern, rather than a straight line.

So what about maintaining your fitness level? Click to read more...

What Fitness Apps Does Doug Use?

With the continual spike in technology (and no real end in sight), there's a lot of debate about the use of technology in different sectors and whether said technology helps, hinders, or just distracts from the original purpose. 

Fitness, being no exception, has been flooded with technology-laden aides over the last couple of decades. Learn more about the new high tech options in the fitness genre, and what to look for...

The Power of "Just Getting Started"

The mystical world of fitness and weight loss abounds with contradictory information.  You can read about the virtues of exercise in one magazine, while in another, you can learn why exercise can make you more fat.  It's no wonder why so many people are confused by what to do to lose weight.

Information overload has led to a cultural paralysis by analysis.  I won't even begin to answer the thousands of questions in your head right now.  Instead, I'd like to talk about just getting started. Click Here to read the full article...