Olympic and Election Year Health

For me the the best things in life come around every 4 years: the Olympics! I really enjoyed watching the Olympics on all the NBC channels this year. The technology and footage was just amazing! Others are absolutely glued to the television watching Election year debates and how quickly candidates fluctuate in the poles. I don't watch much TV (other than some Olympic sports and biking and running) or read the newspaper very much- I find them to be tough on my well being. This year we are offered political choices that seem to be as divisive as ever.

I believe quite fully in the American Dream, I feel like I get to live it EVERY day! The American Dream seems to have taken a very sharp turn somewhere. Somewhere we have skipped over the desire of humans to do useful work. Scrubbing toilets is useful work, the American dream says that if you work hard, use your brain a lot and get over your belief that you are "too good" to clean toilets then maybe you can invent something that takes the place of you scrubbing that toilet. That invention can make you a millionaire.

I will give you my take on this dream:

My American Dream says that if one works hard and wishes to improve their standing in life they can do so. I can push myself, as I feel every American should, to improve my input into this society and, as you raise your standards you can help those who are struggling to raise theirs. I choose making us, as a country, stronger and healthier as my means to living the dream. As I find ways to better my health and wealth I am encouraged, as a citizen of the USA and of the world, to improve the health and wealth of others. Effecting massive change on the health and wealth of this country is my dream. Making what i consider a good living at this chosen profession is My American Dream.

 I do not fear that we will fail as a society in my lifetime. I do not feel that we will continue our trend toward an ever growing obesity epidemic either. We are Americans after all. We don't back down from a fight. We show the world just how rebellious we can be. Be rebellious in the fight against obesity, it will benefit your health and well being as well as the health of the economy. We use P90X, Sweatin to the Oldies, Tae Bo and Insanity:the Asylum to lose millions of pounds and become healthier than we ever thought.

DO NOT buy in to over eating as the "American Way!" DO NOT take being sedentary as the "American WAY!" We have the best athletes in the world, just look at our Olympic medal count! How can we have the best athletes and the highest level of obesity in the world? The sport of running has more participants, by far, than competitive eating. We should demand more of ourselves! We are the greatest nation after all! If your local, state or federal government imposes some rule or law that you feel infringes on your right to choose a gluttonous soda or trans-fats it is because you have not demanded better of yourself, you were irresponsible or too ill to make a better choice for yourself. Feel free to vote that politician out of office. Then show them that you can be responsible for your own healthy actions. Do not go it alone! Get help if you need it.

Get out and exercise to the best of your ability! Challenge yourself to do your part as a citizen. You can vote only every 4 years but you can make healthy choices that can effect the economy for the long run every time you eat. Choose more vegetables, lean protein sources and healthy fats like avocados and olive oil. Stay away from sugary foods, especially high fructose corn syrup and processed foods. Go out and participate in a sport or activity that brings you closer to your friends and family. Just DO NOT SIT THERE AND COMPLAIN!
GO! Be ACTIVE!
Make healthy choices like an industrious, productive and healthy American. Bring our greatness to a new level.   

Is P90X2 good for outdoor athletes?

I don't usually promote other blogs on my own but this one is from Steve Edwards, co-creator of P90X. Steve is a great fitness person since he does some of the toughest sports out there (without actually racing in a Spartan Race, Ha Ha!). Steve bikes, runs, and climbs. He is also a sort of Renaissance Man as far as fitness goes. He does not stop with lifting or indoor cycling or running miles on end or keep his workouts confined to the gym. He lays out the P90X2 program a little but mostly as a tease.
There also a link to an evolution of the programs Steve has helped to develop. Take a read. I kept my blog short to give you time for his blog and time to get your sweat on today. Now read a little and go work out!

I can be a computer idiot sometimes so you might have to copy the link and paste it in your browser.

http://steve-edwards.blogspot.com/2011/12/p90x2-for-outdoor-athletes.html

http://steve-edwards.blogspot.com/search/label/P90x%20mc2

Actually Losing Weight over the Holidays

You can start a diet and exercise program during the holidays but you should get some support.
Your friends who invite you to their party do not want you on a diet and you can bet they don't want you doing air squats between Karaoke Carols. So what are you to do? here are a few ways to begin or maintain a weight loss regimen this holiday season (if you can do it now then you can do it at any time during the year!):

1- Most important is to enlist a group of friends to begin together. There are great programs that offer community support, a key cause of success in any behavioral change. (http://www.teambeachbody.com/connect/beachbody-challenge?tracking=BEACHBODYCHALLENGEDOTCOM)

2- Take a before Photo! This alone scares the Hell out of most people. It is a phenomenal way to stay motivated. If you don't like how it looks then start today to change it. Imagine what you will look like in a year if you don't change your behavior today.(refer to #3)

3- Set a goal and put it on paper. Now to make it real: Imagine how you will feel if you achieve your goal. Now imagine how you feel in 1 year if you have not achieved your goal. Write this down or put it on your computer and print it! Look at it every day.

4- Take a picture of everything you eat. That's right! Everything! this will change your behavior by simply making you aware of what you are eating. Most People will choose a healthier option simply by being aware of what they are eating.

5- Make it a Competition! Put some money on the line! Don't like betting for money? Bet something else - sweeping, a movie, a trip. Bet all of your friends. Whoever loses the most or changes the most wins. More inches can then beat out more pounds lost to allow for muscle gain.

Now set yourself up for success by choosing 60 or 90 days. You and your friends can all keep at it for 60 - 90 days. If you start this Sat with me in NYC that will take you to about Valentines Day if you go for 90 days. That could be a great V-day celebration.

Details: Andy and Shay's NYC Fit Club
Shetler Studios
224 West 54th St #12
New York, NY 10019

Saturdays 10-11AM
We will be doing reVabs (since Shay is in it and it is amazing)

Make a Decision today

Most of us go through our day from task to task "letting" the world tell us where to make the next move. This is very reactive and not very empowering. This way is often low energy and does not stimulate the brain or the body. If you manage to squeeze in a workout then it does not leave you feeling energized or stronger.

Take the time at night to plan your day, scheduling in time for exercise and healthy eating. This can give you time for more family, less stress, and more energy. By scheduling and completing what you had scheduled, even if it as simple as eating a healthy lunch, stimulates the brain to accomplish more. You will actually want to do more and be able to do it.

The Beachbody motto is: Decide. Commit. Succeed.
Keeping these 3 things in mind can energize you to take control of our life. It is after all YOUR life. If you decide to want more. Commit to achieving more in your life then you can succeed at a level you never though possible. Keep your commitments fresh in your mind. Re-Commit as often as you need to. When I started taking more control of my life I had to remind myself several times a day that I was the one in charge of my future, my health and my time. Once you begin to take small steps at changing any aspect of your life, review to make sure you are headed in the right direction. Seek the help of others to stay on track. Make the critical decisions necessary to be successful.

now go out and do something good for yourself!

Race Report - Spartan Super: Hurricane Heat

For those who have been following this blog you have seen a few of my workouts. I love training and challenging myself. I like to work too but I love a vacation. this was about a goal event. This was where we put the training to the test.

This was all about the Hurricane Heat.
This was about teamwork, Joe Desena, Tommy McCormack, and a bunch of other people who wanted to come out and finish the race. There are no clocks. There are no timing chips. There are no losers. At the start there was not any daylight. There are only people out challenging themselves against their mind and body; overcoming that voice that says "STOP". And of course there is always the founder of the Spartan Race, Joe, telling you "30 Burpees" or "Jumping jacks until your team gets here. No standing around."

To start the day off right I woke up 30 min later than I had wanted to, 3:45AM. I grabbed a to-go breakfast and hit the road out to Staten Island, the boro I have been to the least and only for races. I showed up late but in enough time to prepare for the start.

After a final head count and safety check we were instructed to choose a team of 15-20 people we did not know (flash networking) and come up with a team name. There were 18 of us on "Team Badass", so named for the t-shirt I was wearing. 6 active duty military, 2 defense contractors, and 10 crazies started and finished together.

At 534AM the warm up, led by the founder of Spartan and Death Race, began with 30 burpees, 30 walking lunges, 30 Jumping Jacks, 30 pushups, etc. set the tone for the day. With our headlamps on and teams assembled we followed Joe out of the parking lot and on to the beach for the first obstacle, over a low wall and under a low beam thru a net that obstructed our view and sent a large clump of beach sand into my right eye (it would stay there until Tues). After the first obstacle we were tasked with reassembling the team and doing 30 burpees( are you noticing a theme yet?). 400 yrds later we were on to the next obstacle, the mud crawl (6 inches of stinky mud) under barbed wire 2ft above the mud followed by (you guessed it) 30 burpees. Did I mention it had rained quite heavily the night before the event?
The next obstacle was the famous over/under/through walls followed by 30 burpees(we are up to 120 burpees if you are keeping count).
I won't bore you with the details but here is a list of the remaining obstacles (assume 30 burpees after each and 400-800 meter run between):
Cargo net climb
50lb block hoist
Run through fire (Awesome! no burpees)
River run (beginning to wait longer for some team members)
tire drag (we had to press the tires full of water over head)
enclosed space with water/tunnel crawl through water
trail running
back through another tunnel
400m river trudge (I fell once)
Steep hill run (we did not have ropes)
appr. 2 mile trail run
Uneven monkey bars traverse (Collin was cramping really bad about now)
Balance Zig-Zag walk (after the burpees and jumping jacks as we waited for more team mates) We were told the finish line is 40 min away(mindf&$@k)
longer run
Ocean Wade with a 5 gallon bucket 3/4 full of water.
Cinder Bock drag/carry (no burpees, thank god, I hate burpees in the sand)
Spear Throw
Wall traverse
Soap rope wall (a 45/45/90 triangle with ropes that have been coated with dish soap)
No Burpees but 100 situps instead. Those are elbows to knees situps, wimp!
Finish line waitfest(Jumping jacks until EVERYONE finished the wall and the situps and the media got there)
All 160 of crossed the finish line at the same time.

It was one the hardest races I have ever done. Second only to XTERRA National Championship in Lake Tahoe, NV. The NYC marathon is a slog fest. Many other races have been hard; no race is easy(if its easy its a training run). I would not trade it for the world. (Well, maybe for the world).

Get yourself signed up for one of these races. Get yourself to a training session or Spartan Race Bootcamp.

If you are in NYC on a Wed night at 6PM, come to my Spartan Race Workout in Central Park (CENTRAL PARK!). Every Wed at 72nd St and 5th Ave. We workout rain or shine (mud is and only an obstacle). Only $10!

Now shut your computer down and go move your body.

Andy Nelson
917-226-5271
andy@getfitnyc.com
www.getfitnyc.com
myshakeology.com/tricoachandy
teambeachbody.com/tricoachandy

Training for Spartan Race SI, NY

I am training for the Spartan Race Staten Island on Sep 24/25, 2011. I am volunteering 1 of those days. I will periodically post some of the crazy workouts I do. Here is what I did Tuesday that required some P90X, Yoga X Wed morning to loosen me up.

Warm up - 2500m C2 rower - 10 min
Foam Roller/Lacrosse ball for hip mobility - 5 min
Heavy Ass Dead Lift - 5x5 - 221lbs, 232lbs, 254lbs, 285lbs, 285lbs
Metabolic Conditioning - Without stopping( no time since I forgot to stop my watch) 4 rounds - L-Sit rope climb, Pushups to fail( wide, Military, normal, heart 2 heart since I was supposed to be doing a P90X workout that day), 20 sit ups, walking lunges 50yds.

I am feeling it for sure.
Today will be a mountain man run, details later.

Only if you want results from your workout

How long have you been going to the gym? How much do you spend every month? The gyms around here range from $9.99/month to $220/month for a good gym with a pool. I paid about $120 for P90X and $120/month for my Shakeology. I do a hybrid workout of P90X, triathlon Training and Crossfit. I know that everybody in most of those groups has one gripe or another about that.

The CrossFit guys can be a little intense for me and a little Black and White, they certainly challenged my comfort zone with their energy. You will not find a better, broadly fit group of people. Some are great triathletes who do well, podium finishes. I just do not have a Box with a schedule that works for me.(I do not like to do Olympic Lifting without someone there watching my form) Certainly close to CrossFit athletes are some of the people who have done....

P90X and followed their eating plan. Sticking to a program for 90 days, especially one as well designed as P90X will get you results. But you have to challenge your comfort zone during your workouts (Do your best and...). If you use the light band all the time, you will never progress to the pull up bar. If you don't do the Plyometrics and the Yoga X, with good effort, then you will not get the results over the long haul. You can replace your cardio days in P90X with...

Triathlon training. I like to compete in triathlons of Olympic distance and shorter but like Xterra(off road Triathlon) the most. I still do 5 or 6 triathlon workouts a week. The swimming Biking and Trail running are great for my head.

This may not be the optimal way to train for Triathlon, or do P90X, or do CrossFit so here is the trade off: I look awesome! The CrossFit gives me the intensity to go hard during my Tri workouts. Combine that with the P90X programming of YogaX, Ab Ripper X, and Plyometrics, I have the stamina and strength to go the distance in my races and preserve much of the muscle lost to Endurance training and its effects on your hormones (low testosterone, high cortisol). I have pushed myself further than I thought possible and have the energy to do so.

You can start at any level, just be smart about your training and take recovery time and recovery workouts. Follow a healthy eating plan and ask for help if you need it.