Introducing...The GREAT Jeans Challenge!!

The GREAT Jeans Challenge

March 20-May 15

What is it? 

8 contestants have entered the Challenge, which consists of an 8-week fitness and nutrition program geared toward helping them lose 2 inches in 56 days! 

How does it work?

Our contestants have committed to coming in for 3 sessions at Fitness Together each week for the next 8 weeks. In addition to their training here, each contestant is keeping a daily nutrition log, getting extra nutritional counseling throughout the week, and is accountable for logging at least 3 sessions of outside cardio each week! We've designed the challenge to help them get into a new pair of jeans by May 15...if they fit into a smaller pair of jeans OR lose 2+ inches in their waist by the end of the challenge, they'll receive a $100 gift card for a NEW pair of jeans! 

    Who are the contestants?

I'm so glad you asked. 8 contestants, including our owner, Justin, are competing in the Challenge. Meet all of them below!! 

 FROM LEFT: Julie, Tina, Erin, and Jay

 

FROM LEFT: Justin, Joanne, Bo, and Elizabeth

Be sure to show our contestants some love throughout the next 8 weeks! They are working very hard to achieve their goals, and we need to do our best to cheer them on!!

See? I told you they were working hard. :)

 

BOB'S BLOG: The FINAL Post

Here we are, ladies and gentlemen.

We've made it to the end of Bob's Blog. After some well-deserved R&R in the Caribbean, Bob came back to Fitness Together last week and worked extra hard to make up for lost time! After a week of normal workouts, Bob came in yesterday morning for an ASSESSMENT. That's right...everybody's favorite appointment. Below you will find the results from Bob's assessment yesterday (changes from the previous assessment on January 16, 2012, will be in parenthesis).

How do you think he measured up??


ASSESSMENT: MONDAY, MARCH 12, 2012
Height: 6'3" (no change :)
Weight: 254.8 lb (-4 lb)
Resting Heart Rate: 66 bpm (-10 bpm)
Exercise Heart Rate: 85 bpm (-5 bpm)
Body Fat %: 29% (-1%, approximately)

IMPORTANT MEASUREMENTS:
Shoulder: 45" (-2.5")
Chest: 44.5" (-1.75")
Waist: 41" (-4.5")
Hips: 45" (-2")
Right Arm: 13.75" (-1.25")
Left Arm: 13.75" (-1.5")

Right Thigh: 23.5" (-2.75")
Left Thigh: 23.75" (-2.5")

Take a good look at those numbers...impressive, right?? We think so. Bob contends that he's actually lost more than the 4 pounds stated above because he feels as though he consumed too much salt over the weekend, resulting in water retention. If you take a good look at his measurements, it would stand to reason that he's telling the truth. He lost a grand total of over 20 inches (including some minor measurements that are not listed above), which is absolutely INCREDIBLE!

We're so proud of Bob's perseverance and thankful for his willingness to subject himself to this blogging experiment. Although this marks the last day of Bob's Blog, keep in mind that Bob still has a long road ahead toward reaching his goals. Nevertheless, we are confident that Bob will continue to drop inches, weight, and insecurities as he continues toward that goal!

Thanks for tuning in!

BOB'S BLOG: Wednesday, February 22

Hello out there!

I hope that you all had a restful and productive weekend. This is Bob's last "normal" week of the blogging experiment. This is his fifth week of documentation but his final week of one-on-one training (for blogging purposes, that is). Next week, Bob will be enjoying a well-deserved break from the mainland and cruising in the Caribbean.

This presents a very unique challenge for Bob - namely, a self control challenge. Will he make smart nutritional decisions on the cruise ship and while at port? Will he continue to be physically active on board, or will he just sit by the pool all day? Will he stay up all night partying like it's 1985??

Just kidding about that last part.

Anyway, today, we want to talk about practical suggestions for staying on track while enjoying your time off dry land. If you're looking for those numbers resulting from the all-important weigh in, you'll be able to see those on Friday (Bob wants to weigh in and take a waist measurement right before he leaves!)

Please, don't do this:

• Treat your vacation as a free-for-all where calories don't count, and walking to the ice cream bar and back is sufficient for your daily exercise. 
• Stop drinking water. Because you're probably going to be eating a bit more and exercising a bit less, it's all the more important that you keep up an adequate H2O intake each day to help flush out excess toxins and keep your digestive system (and metabolism!) on track. 
• Skip all breakfasts and eat really, really late at night. Think that the 24-hour room service is a GREAT idea at 10:00 at night? Wrong. Skipping early meals and eating big meals late in the evening frustrates your metabolism, and you're much more likely to store foods as fat. 

Instead, do this: 

• Remember that diet and nutrition don't take vacations. Although I'm all about treating yourself a little, do so in MODERATION. If you forget everything else about this post, remember the word MODERATION. It will serve you well, I promise. 
• Choose outings and excursions that require you to sweat a little! Go on a hike instead of para-sailing, do some horseback riding on the beach instead of just basking in the sun, rent bikes instead of scooters...you get the idea. Keep your whole family active...it's usually more memorable than sitting on a beach reading a book and throwing sand at each other!
• Eat several small meals (moderation, remember?) as opposed to 2 or 3 huge ones. Don't skip breakfast!! Eating breakfast on a regular basis helps to kick off your metabolism for the day ahead!
• ENJOY YOURSELF.  Vacations are meant to be a break from work, drama, and the hustle and bustle of everyday life...so treat them as such!! The body needs this time to recuperate and re-energize, but that doesn't mean you have to be lazy. Do something you've never done before - like snorkeling over a reef or zip-lining through the trees. When you're away, be away...but give your body the nutrition and activity it deserves so that you can make the most of your time!

Those are some very general, fairly fool-proof guidelines for vacationing without leaving behind your goals next to the toothbrush you forgot to pack. What steps do you take while on vacation to keep up with your health and fitness goals?

BOB'S BLOG: Friday, February 17

Bob completed THE PYRAMIDS today! If you'll remember from a few weeks ago, a pyramid consists of 5 different exercises. The first exercise consists of 10 reps, the second exercise consists of 20 reps, the third exercise consists of 30 reps...you get the point. Each of the 5 exercises is completed right after the other, preferably with no rest in between. After the fifth exercise (consisting of 50 reps), Bob gets a long break (3-4 minutes) before making his way back down the pyramid (40, 30, 20, 10). Sounds like fun, right? Bob sure thought so!

Three weeks ago, Bob rocked the upper body pyramid but only completed half of the lower body pyramid. TODAY, however, Bob ROCKED both pyramids and proved to himself that he's getting stronger and better every day! He still had a super hard, cardio-straining workout, but he definitely came out the victor today! Check it out...

One-on-One Personal Training: Friday, February 17
Warm-Up
Hamstring and shoulder stretches
Weighted boxing (8 lb dumbbells, sets of 20)
Upper Body Pyramid
Pull-up on gymnastic rings (10 reps)
Kettlebell swing (35 lb, 20 reps)
Lat pulldown on cables (32.5 lb, 30 reps)
Bench dips (40 straight leg)
Rope Slams (25 alternating, 25 double slams) Rest
Bench dips (40 straight leg)
Lat pulldown on cables (32.5 lb, 30 reps)
Kettlebell swing (35 lb, 20 reps)
Pull-up on gymnastic rings (10 reps)
Lower Body Pyramid
Burpees (10 reps)
Mountain Climbers (20 reps)
Lateral bounds on plyo box (21+9 reps, slow) Rest
Single-leg step up on plyo box (20 each leg, w/ no medicine ball) Rest
Ball squat against wall (25+25 reps, w/  10 lb medicine ball) Rest
Single-leg step up on plyo box (20 each leg, w/ 10 lb medicine ball) Rest
Lateral bounds on plyo box (30 slow) Rest
Mountain Climbers (20 reps)
Burpees (10 reps)
Stretching and Cardio

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED: 1000
HIGHEST HEART RATE: 178

BOB'S BLOG: Thursday, February 16

Long time, no see! That's totally my fault - I haven't been on top of my game with the blog posts this week. In fact, I'm starting to feel a bit like the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland - always running late and never getting where I need to go! Don't let that fool you, though...Bob is working as hard as ever! Even after some momentary setbacks, he's still persevering and finishing this out until the end! We have less than two weeks before Bob's next assessment and our final blog post, but that doesn't mean Bob is done trying after this is over. He's got a lot of goals and great determination - he'll be working hard to achieve his goals long after his internet fame has faded!

By way of recap, I'm going to give you Bob's nutritional highs and lows from Monday until now, and I'll let you know a little more about what he's been working on in his sessions this week. It won't be quite as detailed as usual, but we'll get back on track with our normal posts tomorrow morning!

NUTRITION: February 13-16

NUTRITIONAL HIGHS
Monday, February 13: At lunch, Bob went to Lucky 32 with his wife and made a pretty healthy restaurant choice: black bean cakes, salad, and green beans, for a total of about 500 calories. Black bean cakes are high in protein and flavor, but low in saturated fat and grease!
Tuesday, February 14: Bob's dinner Tuesday night makes me a little hungry! He had 2 small grilled lamb chops, red potatoes, asparagus, and spinach with sliced strawberries. The colors on his plate are varied and vibrant, the nutrition is all-inclusive, and everything that had to be cooked was grilled - a great method of cooking for preserving both nutrients and flavor!

Wednesday, February 15: Lately, Bob has been snacking on Cascadian Farms granola bars as an early-morning pre-breakfast or as a snack between lunch and dinner. Most granola bars are filled with tons of preservatives, syrups, and artificial flavors; however, Cascadian Farms provides an organic, substantially healthier alternative. Great choice! An added bonus? A good, wholesome granola bar can help you feel full mid-day AND give you a boost of energy to get past that 2:30 feeling (no 5-Hour Energy required!!)
NUTRITIONAL LOWS
Monday, February 13: Bob had 3 waters and 3 Diet Cokes, which is a bit of a backslide for him. We're trying to keep his water intake around 6-7 20-oz waters a day and his DC intake (eventually) down to zero.
Tuesday, February 14: Bobs nutrition on Tuesday was pretty spot-on. His calories were good, his choices were generally wise. Great job!
Wednesday, February 15: Bob consumed 3 Diet Cokes again on Wednesday, so we really want to focus on getting back on the H2O track!!

PERSONAL TRAINING: February 13-16

This week, we've been working on more cardio and power-building, and Bob has been doing a great job keeping up with his cardio! In fact, Bob opted for cardio only this morning and decided to sweat it out in the training room on Saturday instead!

Saturday's Metabolic Trainer's Choice PACK Workout Trained by Erika - 2/4/2012

Since I was going to be at work anyway, and I didn't fit in all of my workouts during the week, I decided to do it up on a Saturday.  No Aliyah, no Claire, and no wonderful clients to keep me company though.  I thought I would be struggling through this one on my own, but Erika was there to rescue me from an uninspired workout.  She didn't work out with me, but she did keep me on task and helped me keep time for the last couple of exercises.

Today's workout is a Trainer's Choice workout, which you may already know are my favorite, and I gave it all I had, thanks to Erika.  Unlike most of our workouts lately, we concentrated on a certain amount of repetitions instead of time.  I really liked it and took advantage, making it through the whole workout in just 28 minutes.  I threw rest and caution to the wind while blowing through this one.  There were four supersets (one exercise straight into another exercise using different muscle groups) that I would complete twice each before moving to the next superset.  The goal for each exercise was 15 repetitions at an extremely challenging resistance level.  I think that I accomplished both parts plus added the aspect of little to no rest...

Warm Up - Foam Roll for Quads and Hamstrings; High Knees and Butt Kicks (Jogging in Place); Medicine Ball Throws - 10 Slams, 10 Chest Pass, 10 Underhand

Foam Roller (in case you were not familiar)

Superset 1 - 2 Rotations for 15 Repetitions w/ No Rest between Exercises


Dumbbell Squat - 15 Reps w/ 30lb DBs for Round 1, 15 Reps w/ 30lb DBs for Round 2
Overhead Press - 15 Reps w/ 30lb DBs for Round 1, 15 Reps w/ 30lb DBs for Round 2




Superset 2 - 2 Rotations for 15 Repetitions w/ No Rest between Exercises

Lunges - 15 Reps w/ 20lb DBs for Round 1, 15 Reps w/ 20lb DBs for Round 2
Incline Press - 15 Reps w/ 45lb DBs for Round 1, 15 Reps w/ 50lb DBs for Round 2




Superset 3 - 2 Rotations for 15 Repetitions w/ No Rest between Exercises

Single Arm Dumbbell Row - 15 Reps w/ 50lb DB for Round 1, 15 Reps w/ 50lb DB for Round 2
V-Up - 15 Reps for Round 1, 15 Reps for Round 2



Superset 4 - 2 Rotations of 1 Minute for as many Repetitions as Possible

Jumping Jacks - 60 Reps for Round 1, 66 Reps w/ 20lb DBs for Round 2
Mountain Climbers - 33 Reps for Round 1, 40 Reps for Round 2



As always if you have any questions or comments just post them and I will let you know whatever you need.

BOB'S BLOG: Thursday, February 9

One-On-One Personal Training Workout: Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Warm-up
High leg swings (10 r/l)
Side kicks (15 r/l)
Ball slams (10/10)
Lunge walk (10 r/l)
Strength Upper
Lat Pulldown (40/15, 50/15)
Tiny taps (:45)
Front Raise (12/12, 15/12)
Tiny taps (:45)
Strength Lower
Split Squat (65/15 r/l, x2)
Elliptical (Level 10 @ 7, Level 25 @ 3.5, Level 8 @ 7)
Sumo Squat (30/15, x2)
Elliptical (Level 8 @ 7, Level 25 @ 4, Level 8 @ 7)
Function
Curl and Press (12/15, 15/15)
Burpee (10, 10)
Core
Superman (15 + hold)
(10 each, x2)...
Leg lifts
Leg extension
Briefcase
Stretching and Cardio

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED: 909
HIGHEST HEART RATE: 176


One-On-One Personal Training Workout: Thursday, February 9, 2012
Warm-up
(20 each)...
Assisted push-up
Assisted pull-up
Mountain Climbers
Side lunge switch
Strength
(Superset)...
Bar Up & Over (35/10 r/l, x3)
Chest Fly (20/15, x3)
Reverse Fly (10/15, x3)
Power
Jumping pull-up (20)
Power push-up (10+10)
Bike burnout
Function
Donkey Kick to Fire Hydrant (20 each r/l)
 Bike burnout
Cardio
 Rope slams (20)
Plank up-downs (10 r/l)
Core
V-ups (20)
Leg lifts (20)
Stretching and Cardio

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED: 932
HIGHEST HEART RATE: 170

Bob admitted to having a couple of rough days in terms of nutrition this week. In fact, from Monday through Wednesday, he was never able to consume enough calories, falling short by at least 200 calories or more each day. The truth is, we all have our days (or our weeks) when stress, work, family, and life in general becomes so hectic that many things fall by the wayside, nutrition included. If you know in advance that this will probably happen at some point, we can be better able to prepare for those obstacles and develop a plan of action to combat them.

Nutrition: Monday, February 6, 2012
Pre-Breakfast: Granola bar (140)
Breakfast: 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread, peanut butter, Greek yogurt, banana (540)
Lunch: Progresso soup, 2 tangerines, grapes, almonds (335)
Snack: Fruit cup (70)
Dinner: 2 oz. grilled chicken, 1 wheat tortilla (140)
Snack: Popcorn (100)
Drinks: 2 Diet Cokes, 5 waters
TOTAL CALORIC INTAKE: 1325 calories (More than 500 calories below recommended intake) 

Nutrition: Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Breakfast: 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread, peanut butter (2 tbsp), Greek yogurt, banana (540)
Lunch: None (Not a good start!)
Snack: Almonds, fruit cup, pretzels (350)
Dinner: Salad w/ vinegar (100)
Drinks: 4 Diet Cokes, 2 waters
TOTAL CALORIC INTAKE: 990 calories (More than 800 calories below recommended intake) 

Nutrition: Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Pre-Breakfast: Granola Bar (140)
Breakfast: 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread, peanut butter (2 tbsp), Greek yogurt, banana (540)
Lunch: Pulled pork, coleslaw, green beans (Danny's BBQ) (417)
Snack: Granola bar (140)
Dinner: Salad with vinegar, grilled chicken (340)
Drinks: 1 Diet Coke, 5 waters
TOTAL CALORIC INTAKE: 1577 calories (273 calories below recommended intake)