What is so hard about getting on the scale during a boot camp? I know the same feelings you have. Heck when I started even thinking about weighing myself, the scale was so far away, I avoided it, I didn’t want to see the numbers on the display. I couldn’t accept them; even knowing I had a lot of work to do to drop the weight. In my 200’s I didn’t weigh at all, only time I did was when I went into the doctors for a physical and never liked what the scale said, and the advice the doctor gave me…….”lose weight!”

It sucks when you get to this point. I was there  I went to the gym 2 to 3 times a week, the scale was in the locker room, I knew how to use it. I never stepped on it. I would get done in the gym then go and eat lunch not knowing anything about eating healthy. I still avoided the scale. You know what is funny? When you get serious about losing weight you get on the scale. Okay what is my starting weight? How much weight do I want to lose? I have to do something other than doing the same workouts I’ve been doing, maybe learn more about what to eat. Join a class, Weight watchers I don’t know!

Most everybody who I am writing for right now I know in Boot camp come on folks stop delaying your progress get on the scale at least once a week.  It’s not as hard as doing 50 seconds of Burpees, and hey, you might get away with getting on the scale right in the middle of a 9 minute routine BCG is giving us!

How serious are you? What are you afraid of? Are the higher numbers not ideal for you once you see them on the display? Then you have work to do and the reward of getting them down is always at the end when you accomplish lowering your weight.

Get yourself on the scale it works if you are serious about losing weight or preventing a weight gain. Every time you are getting on the scale you are using a tool to check yourself. BCG is the record keeper and your support. Make the scale a part of your strategy. I did by making sure I weighed in before I went on vacation and then as soon as I came back. I did before the Thanksgiving week and weighed myself again 4 days after.  Come on folks what are you waiting for?

For a pre-exercise snack, Brazier has different suggestions for different levels of activity.  He calls exercising 1 hour or less as level 1 activity. For Northern Virginia boot camp, this is how long we’ll be doing for our runs during boot camp. Brazier says that fruit or dates is the best since the Glucose from the simple carbohydrates goes to the liver for immediate energy.  When you go for longer runs, you can even bring these types of snacks with you for fuel during exercise.  Many runners do this during long runs, carrying it in a pack around their waist.

Brazier refers to the 45 minute time period after exercise as the “fuel window”.  At this time the body is better able to absorb carbohydrates (in a good way, don’t think that carbohydrates are “bad”, we need them) which speeds recovery.  If you are able to recover more quickly from exercise then your body has more energy to do other things necessary which will give you overall better health.

For faster recovery, you need a simple carbohydrate (fruit is a simple carbohydrate) with little fat or fiber and a low percentage of protein for your post-run.  The sooner you consume this the better and make sure it’s within the 45 minute window.  Brazier recommends a liquid or near liquid consistency since it’s easier for the body to digest especially since your body is fatigued from the exercise. In Brazier’s book, he has 2 post-workout recovery drinks which includes fruit, dates, hemp protein and agave nectar. If you want the detailed recipe, please let me know. If you are planning on doing my Northern Virginia boot camp (as with any of my boot camps), make sure to plan ahead and have a recovery drink ready to go.

After an hour has passed since the snack, it’s time for the post-workout meal.  Brazier says ideally this will consist of “high-quality, easily digestible raw protein such as hemp omega-3 fatty acids (also from hemp and flaxseed), and vitamins and minerals from natural whole food sources” (p.119-120).  He says that a conventional meal is not ideal at this time since blood is in the extremities doing it’s job to help recovery and not as much in the stomach for digestion so it’s better not to tax the system with a meal that’s more difficult to digest.

I hope that information was helpful.  I have to remind myself how important these post-workout meals are.  The more that we can do to increase recovery, the more we will see improvement and the more prepared we will be for our next workout.

If you would like to try my upcoming Northern Virginia boot camp or are interested in being an MCC (Marathon Charity Corporation) participant, please email me at Stephanie@thebootcampgirl.com.  I look forward to helping you with your running goals!

1. Push-ups (works the chest, shoulders, triceps and abdominal muscles)
2. Bent over row (for the back and shoulder muscles)
3. Tricep kick-backs (for the tricep muscles)
4. Bicep curls (for the bicep muscles)
5. Shoulder press and a squat with a calf raise (works the shoulders and legs (quadriceps, hamstrings and calf muscles)

Normally for Compact Chains, you pick one exercise that you increase the repetitions for each time.  The other exercises are done once every time.  For example, if you decide that you want to focus on the push-ups, for each round of the Compact Chain you would increase the push-ups by one repetition.  So if you do 9 rounds of Compact Chains, the last round you would be doing 9 push-ups.  All of the other exercises you would only do once for each round.

In my Columbia boot camp, I do the compact chains with my students a little differently.  Instead of increasing only 1 exercise for each round, I have them increase each exercise for each round of the Compact Chain.  Therefore if you did the Compact Chain 9X, you would finish the last round doing each exercise 9X. I have found through the experience of my boot camp and personal training students that they have lost inches and toned up through this challenging and effective version.

I want everyone to be able to come up with their own Compact Chain workout.  Please comment below about the Compact Chain that you put together. Also if you aren’t in my Columbia boot camp (or any other boot camp), email me at Stephanie@thebootcampgirl.com to get a free trial session.

The first step is to understand what makes a workout effective. Most people spend hours at the gym trying to lose weight but don’t see any results.  This makes people feel less motivated and less likely to stick with their exercise routine.  This is because they don’t know what to do and end up doing ineffective routines.  There’s a lot of research showing that interval training (this is comprised of short bursts of intense activity followed by less intense activity) that also incorporates strength training is very effective for weight loss.  It will also help people to tone up and lose inches.

The great thing about a focused and intense workout is that you don’t need to spend hours at the gym to get great results!  Even just a short amount of time could produce noticeable results.  For example, I have put together several 9 minute workout videos (routines that we use in my Clarksville boot camp) that people can do on days that they are busy or on days that they wouldn’t have normally worked out.  Always start out with a 5 minute warm-up (this could be light jogging in place, arm circles, or other light activity) and always end with some stretching. To be even more time efficient, you could turn on the morning news while doing your warm-up, you’ll be hearing the news like you normally would while getting your warm-up.

You don’t need equipment for your workouts, but if you have equipment, this can add more variety to your routine.  You want to alternate between a cardiovascular component (like jumping jacks) and strength training (push-ups, weights, stability ball, resistance bands for example).  A typical routine that I use in my Clarksville boot camp is 50 seconds of strength training followed by a 10 second rest/transition time then followed by 30 seconds of the cardio. If doing a 9 minute routine, you would do 6 exercises (50 seconds/10 seconds) with 30 seconds of cardio between each exercise.  Make sure that you are moving very quickly (less so if you are a beginner).

Take notes on the number of repetitions in each set and keep an ongoing journal to track your progress.  I noticed with my Clarksville boot camp students that when people chart their progress, they get better results. Challenge yourself to improve each time!

For more specific examples, you can go to www.nineminuteworkouts.com to get some FREE workouts to do at home.  You’ll be surprised how great the results can be.  Go there today and get started!