Good morning and Happy Monday to you!


Man, I had a great weekend. Did my first, 2nd and 10th Karaoke songs (Under the Bridge by Red Hot Chili Peppers is my money song with Since You Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson as a close 2nd, wink). Did you know YouTube has almost unlimited Karaoke songs right there? Also did a little Portuguese folk dancing in the kitchen to George Ferreira. Crazy.


Sunday was a big meal prep day for the week. Planned out 38 meals, hit the grocery store for food I didn’t have and came home and set up shop. Made 5 oatmeal/egg white/mixed berries & mixed nuts, 4-Cauliflower / Salmon soup, 4-Turkey Meatball Tomato Basil Soups, 2 deli meat/carrots & cukes/hummus snacks, 2 apple (2) & peanut butter snacks, 2 Mediterranean salad snacks (cukes, tomato, olive oil, sardines), 2 Oranges (3) & Mixed Nuts snacks and some chili & bean soups for later in the week. Every time I plan & prep I have big weeks. Just grab & go baby! 60 min meals become 15 min to eat & 45 min gained for whatever.



This week’s agenda:



• Week 3 Recap
• Nutrition Tip
• Week 4 Theme
• Cardio Minutes
• Local Guest Day
• Ab Workout for Haiti
• Questions



Week 3 Recap



You’ve completed 2 of the 3 fast week / progression week workouts. These workouts are designed to help you lose weight by moving faster and completing more reps in the same amount of time if you choose to go faster or to help you get stronger, improve performance or lose fat while maintaining muscle mass if you choose to do progressions. This of course is a mute point if you’re not practicing optimal nutrition or getting your cardio minutes in.


Some of you have commented to me after class or through email that this is the toughest phase of boot camp yet, that you don’t know if you would have signed up had boot camp been this tough when you started or that classes go so fast now, you can’t believe how much we get done.


Well, boot camp isn’t supposed to be easy. It’s a high intensity interval strength & conditioning workout. That’s why we have so many recovery periods; to let your body recovery from the high stress of training.


It’s winter time. Many people are less active outdoors. You need to get your butt kicked and have your metabolism burning at a high rate, to burn off & keep off any excess insulation.


If boot camp feels really hard, then it means that (1) your really out of shape and (2) you need to remember that the class is set to time, there are 3 levels to each exercise, so go at your own pace. If you need to rest, rest. If you need to take a minute to stretch or roll, then do it. It’s o.k. Listen to your body.



Nutrition Tip



One of your peers, Maureen Mullowney asked me for some snack / meal ideas for when she’s at work. Grab & go meals are superior and the best way to enjoy those
are by planning and preparing in advance.


Cook your meals / prep your meals in bulk.
Get personal storage containers to keep them in.
Wash & chop veggies & fruits 2x/ week & store them.
Cook proteins in bulk.
Cook starches in bulk.
Have fats (nuts), oils, nut butters, avocados handy.


Remember to have a protein / fat & carb (veggie or fruit) at each meal.


Examples:


Turkey rolled in lettuce with hummus, tomato & pepper.
Peanut butter (put a tbsp into small container) and sliced apples and/or pears.
Mixed nuts (1-1.5 tbsp) and sliced oranges, grapefruits or other citrus fruits.
Fat Free Greek Yogurt w/ mixed nuts & fresh or frozen mixed berries
Skim or part skim cheese w/ sliced zucchini, squash or colored peppers



Week 4 Theme



O.K. This week you’ll do the 30/60/90 workout 1 more time on Monday and then “fast week / progression week” will be officially over and “Challenge Week” shall begin.


Challenge Week is when I present a challenge to the class, usually a repetition goal, and the only way for the class to beat it is if everyone works to do their absolute best. It’s really hard, you’ll sweat a ton, but it has become so popular that we stretched it from 1 day to 3 days and now this phase; because it’s 5 weeks we’ll add an individual challenge day. As an FYI, if you’re diet is right on, you could get some serious body changes during challenge week. Actually, you can get serious body changes every week if your diet is right on. 

Cardio Minutes:

Week 4 Goals:



Rookies / Returning boot campers: males = 175 minutes, females = 250 minutes



Local Guest Day



Thank you to Pam Swift, Jackie Bunt, Angela Coppola and Jack Goldsmith for introducing Holly Tarnower, Stephen Cimino, Thomas Bellini and Leslie Williams to us. By inviting guests to experience boot camp with you, you build up your circle of support and your peers are better able to understand what you do and why you do it. Besides, it’s a lot more fun to high five someone else than simply high fiving yourself (wink).



AB Workout for Haiti



Saturday, February 6, from 8-9am will be the Ab Workout for Haiti. Plan to arrive at 8am, the workout will begin at 8:15am sharply and finish around 8:45am, allowing you time to pack up and head out. You’ll learn a do anywhere ab routine that you can add to your workout arsenal.


The workout is an open invitation, so guests are welcome (all guests must complete a waiver form and be currently pain & injury free and able to at least walk a mile).


You must rsvp if you want to participate. Cost to participate is $20. 100% of proceeds will go to American Red Cross.


More details to come.



Questions



Got questions? Post them in the ChangeYourBodyChallenge.net Forums. You’ll get answers and you’ll be helping your teammates.



Cheers and wishing you a great week of body changes!


Your coach,


Mike Alves


Newton Boot Camp

Week 1 Recap



Hello and happy Monday!


You’ve completed your first week of boot camp for the 2010 season. How do you feel?


I’m really curious what you thought about our shoulder finisher from the last class. Was it effective? J


Each week I will write to you and provide you with some updates and inspiration. Got a question? Send it to me and I’ll answer it.



This week’s agenda:

• Week 1 Recap
• Snow Day
• Weekly Themes
• Cardio Minutes
• Guest Day
• Measurements & Testing
• Recovery Week Cardio
• Billing
• Change Your Body Challenge (CYBC)
• Post Below

Snow Day Policy


If there is snow on the ground, but it is not snowing, class will most likely be on.


If there is snow on the ground and it is snowing, class will most likely be canceled.


If school is canceled and class is on, you are welcome to bring your child to the 9am class, so long as your child can remain calm on the stage.
Your safety is a priority to me, so if you don’t feel safe, don’t travel.


BUT, if you’re gut tells you, you can travel, then suck it up and get your butt over here. Remember one of the reasons you’re taking this class is to get in better shape and self discipline will help you get there. You want to be a little tougher. You want to do things that other people can’t. You want to feel younger, leaner and stronger. It’s empowering.


On potential snow days, I’ll set my alarm for 3:30am (some of your peers travel from west of 128 to be here) and to check outside and send you an e-mail. If shoveling is needed we’ll have enough time.


You can check your e-mail or you can call 617.268.6232 to get the most current snow update.


Consider time for the following:

• packing equipment, change of clothes & meals
• putting on your snow boots, gloves, hat, etc..
• shoveling out driveway, car, scraping windshields
• driving slow like you’re a senior in the south to make sure you arrive safely
• unloading, changing footware and getting on the floor for 6am sharp.

For 9am classes if schools are canceled, main roads are plowed, class will most likely be on. You are welcome to bring your children as long as they can be calm on the stage.


For 6:30pm classes, if there is a snow emergency and everyone is leaving work early (roads are packed with cars) class will be canceled.



Weekly Themes



Each week we’ll have a different theme and even some days we’ll have a different theme. Themes make your experience more fun and remind you of how your body will be feeling or what you’ll be doing.

Week 1: Intro / Measurements & Orientation / Pre-Camp Testing / Very Sore Week

Week 2: Less Sore Week

Week 3: Local Guest Day / Fast Week / Progression Week

Week 4: Progression Week Ends / Challenge Week Begins

Week 5: Challenge Week / Post Camp Testing / Measurements by Appointment



Cardio Minutes:

*this is possibly the best we’ve ever done during our 1^st week; high five!



Guest Day



I’m often asked, “can I bring a friend” or ‘can I come and watch your class?” Yes, but only on select dates and times.


Local guest day is scheduled for the middle class of the 3^rd week. You are welcome to bring a guest to class on one of the below dates. Local guest day builds your support circle and lets your friends understand better what you do to look and feel so great.

• 6:30pm, 1/26 @ Mackenzie Center
• 6am, 1/27 @ B&G Club
• 9am, 1/27 @ Mackenzie Center

All guests must complete a registration packet PRIOR to participation. Guest day is a courtesy gesture from your peers and me. Please DO NOT put me on the spot by having your guest arrive unannounced without prior completion of a waiver. Click Here to download and e-mail your guest a registration packet to complete.


Non-Local/Out of Town Guest Day:


These guests are welcome anytime, but must be planned with me. Please have these guests complete the guest registration packet and submit via e-mail prior to attendance. You’ll never have to skip a beat when family, friends or colleagues are visiting. Just bring them with you and create a new bond.



Measurements & Testing

M&T will now be separated to make it easier for you to participate. Testing will be on the 1^st and last class of all 4, 5 & 6 week phases. There will be no testing on a 3 week phase.

Measurements will be held on a weekend morning from 8am to 9:30am-ish before the start of boot camp and at the end of boot camp by appointment. Each appointment will last 4 minutes in length (you can make time for 4 minutes). I will send out an email asking you to rsvp. When you rsvp I’ll reply with your scheduled time.

The reason we have M&T is to track your progress over time.

If you’d like to be measured on a date other than what is offered please contact me regarding my private training services. You can hire me to meet you for a private appointment.



Recovery Week Cardio



Reply below with your RWC minutes for recovery week (RW) #1, #2 & #3. Guys your goal was 252, ladies 360. If you hit it, you deserve a high five, so be sure to tell me.



Billing



I “think” I’ve finally chosen a merchant account. Talk about a new learning experience. December payments will be processed over the course of this week and next and then recur as written in your agreement. Thank you for your flexibility and patience.



Change Your Body Challenge



Sally Babigian, our fall 2009 winner, let me interview her about her experience. It’ll be posted online soon and you’ll get an e-mail when it’s ready.



Post Below



Please post a comment below answering the following questions. Thank you!

• How you felt this week?
• 1 word to describe the “shoulder finisher”
• Recovery Week Cardio Minutes: RW #1, RW#2, RW#3
• 2010 Week 1 Cardio Minutes

That’s all folks. See you tomorrow if the weather allows.


Your coach,


Mike Alves


Newton Boot Camp

Here’s a guest post from one of my mentors, Mike Boyle

Only One Body

Imagine you are sixteen years old and your parents give you your first car. They also give you simple instructions. There is one small hitch, you only get one car, you can never get another. Never. No trade-ins, no trade-ups. Nothing

Ask yourself how would you maintain that car? My guess is you would be meticulous. Frequent oil changes, proper fuel, etc. Now imagine if your parents also told you that none of the replacement parts for this car would ever work as well as the original parts. Not only that, the replacement parts would be expensive to install and cause you to have decreased use of your car for the rest of the cars useful life? In other words, the car would continue to run but, not at the same speed and with the efficiency you were used to.

Wow, now would we ever put a lot of time and effort into maintenance if that were the case.

After reading the above example ask yourself another question. Why is the human body different? Why do we act as if we don’t care about the one body we were given. Same deal. You only get one body. No returns or trade-ins. Sure, we can replace parts but boy it’s a lot of work and it hurts. Besides, the stuff they put in never works as well as the original “factory” parts. The replacement knee or hip doesn’t give you the same feel and performance as the original part.

Think about it. One body. You determine the mileage? You set the maintenance plan?

No refunds, no warranties, no do-overs?

How about this perspective? One of my clients is a very successful businessman. He often is asked to speak to various groups. One thing he tells every group is that you are going to spend time and money on your health. The truth is the process can be a proactive one or a reactive one. Money spent on your health can take the form of a personal trainer, massage therapist and a gym membership or, it can be money spent on cardiologists, anesthesiologists, and plastic surgeons. Either way, you will spend money.

Same goes for time. You can go to the gym or, to the doctors office. It’s up to you. Either way, you will spend time. Some people say things like “I hate to work out”. Try sitting in the emergency room for a few hours and then get back to me. Working out may not seem so bad. Much like a car, a little preventative maintenance can go a long way. However, in so many ways the body is better than a car. With some good hard work you can turn back the odometer on the body. I wrote an article a while back ( Strength Training- The Fountain of Youth) that discussed a study done by McMaster University which showed that muscle tissue of older subjects actually changed at the cellular level and looked more like the younger control subjects after strength training.

Do me a favor, spend some time on preventative maintenance, it beats the heck out of the alternative. Just remember, you will spend both time and money.

Mike Boyle

http://www.FunctionalStrengthCoach3.com