Think Smart

The holiday season is full of parties and delicious foods. It can be hard to dial in on your willpower when you’re constantly surrounded by temptations.

Shaun Nibert, the Head Trainer at Burn Boot Camp Greenville, is giving us his top tips on how to take on the holiday party. By learning how to navigate your holiday party the right way, you’ll have fun and stay on track.

What Not to Eat

Before you head to the dessert platter or the bar, make sure you know what to avoid. The first item on our list to avoid is eggnog. Eggnog is full of sugars and heavy cream that will ruin progress fast.

Casseroles are known for being full of artificial ingredients, like cream and sugar. Try to avoid these to the best of your ability. Even if they do have vegetables in the name like “broccoli casserole” – steer clear.

Additionally, turkey skin is another slow killer. Turkey skin contains high amounts of sodium and unnecessary seasonings that will cause bloating and dehydration.

Finally, avoid all breads and simple carbs. This means no stuffing, no cakes and no cookies.

What to Eat

If you’re actually hungry, you’ll want to treat these foods as fuel. Flocking to the vegetable and fruit trays will fill you with fiber and keep you full longer.

Try to find lean meats for your protein source. Chicken breasts, skinless turkey and certain hams can be a great way to fill up without going overboard.

Prepare For The Holidays

Don’t just dive mindlessly into the holiday party scene, prepare before you go. To prevent cravings and the urge to eat everything in sight, eat a meal of whole foods.

If you aren’t super hungry, eat an apple as a snack. The apple will help curb your appetite by absorbing natural, complex carbs.

Another rule to adhere to is the three-bite rule. If you’re eyeing something, take three-bites and move on. This will help you get your fix in without overindulging.

What about alcohol? It’s best to avoid alcohol, but if you’re going to have a drink or two, drink clear drinks. Vodka and soda is a great, low calorie option, along with some wine and spritzer.

Make sure that whatever you end up eating, you make it to camp the next day. Shaun recommends going the extra limit by getting there early to warm up to hold yourself accountable.

At Burn Boot Camp there is no day one. Don’t make excuses for yourself during the holiday. Maintain your lifestyle all year-long with this guide on how to eat smart at your holiday party!

Tune into Burn TV LIVE every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7 pm.

Train Your Brain

Life is full of highs and lows. Falling victim to your problems can be easy, but our problems teach us to persevere and get stronger.

Tre Lahman, Head Trainer at Burn Boot Camp Winston-Salem, is hoping to inspire women by sharing her story. Postpartum depression and anxiety are real issues, and often times, it’s all about changing your mindset.

Become Stronger

Tre has been a personal trainer for several years now. She’s spent much of her time training group fitness classes before joining the Burn Boot Camp community.

Tre was at the peak of her career when she became pregnant unexpectedly. Additionally, she dealt with constant sickness and pain that worsened throughout her pregnancy.

Finally, after experiencing a rough delivery, she gave birth to a happy, healthy baby. Unfortunately, 7-weeks after giving birth, she was hit with postpartum depression, anxiety and insomnia.

Her Support System

Tre says her family, friends and church helped her overcome her mental blocks. During her journey back to mental health, she began reading blogs about Burn Boot Camp.

In March, she tried Burn Boot Camp out with several of her friends. She immediately felt freed of her depression and anxiety.

Tre recalls that building relationships prompted her to focus less on herself and more on others. Burn offered her a community to be apart of.

After several months of being a member, she became the head trainer. She went from feeling unable to lead herself to leading hundreds of women.

The Take-Away

Exercise has proven to help lessen the affects of anxiety. By moving more, you’ll be less likely to suffer from symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Not only that but Burn Boot Camp has been designed to create a community of women who uplift each other. We high-five and encourage each other because we’re determined to become stronger.

Tune into Burn TV LIVE every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7 pm.

Step Up To The Challenge

We can lose focus of our goals fast when we become busy with life. Luckily, we can incorporate our active lifestyle into our workday easily.

Chris Stephenson, who is the Head Trainer at Burn Boot Camp Wake Forest, wants to challenge us to reach 10,000 steps at work, every day.

Get Moving

Currently, our world is always moving at light speed. Instead of taking the easy way out and parking in the first spot, park in the last spot. You’ll get in the habit and move more!

Use the stairs to your advantage. Just because you walked a few extra steps from your car to the building doesn’t mean you stop there.

Additionally, get creative when you take the stairs. Do some lunges or speed up your pace to get your heart rate up.

Another tip is to get active during your lunch break. Take a walk or use it as your time to get a quick workout in. You’ll regain focus and mental clarity to get right back into working hard.

Get your coworkers involved by offering “walking meetings” or by setting goals together. This will create healthy relationships and help you stay active.

Don’t Stop This Winter

The temperatures are dropping, but that’s not stopping us. We’re athletes here at Burn Boot Camp and we’ll continue to crush goals.

Try to get outside if the temperatures aren’t dangerously cold. This gets blood pumping and can boost your mood! Take the dogs for a walk or have a family outing at the park.

If you have family coming to visit, don’t use it as an excuse to skip camp. Bring your friends and family along! Saturdays are free to the public, and we are always offering a 14 day free test drive.

Tune into Burn TV LIVE every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7 pm.

Stay Focused

We’re wrapping up Nutrition November and heading full force into the holiday season. It’s important that you remember all of the lessons taught throughout the month so you can continue to improve every day.

Ryne Robinson, Head Trainer and Transformation Expert at Burn Boot Camp Fort Mill, gives us his top tips for keeping our nutrition on track. Grab a pen and a sheet of paper, and let’s get started!

Top Tips For Success

Goal Setting

First, you want to set goals. Turn your focus away from losing 75 lb. as soon as possible, and instead, focus on making it to the gym and improving your nutrition.

Dial in on your nutrition when you create your goals. Reaching your protein goal for 5 days straight or drinking a gallon of water a day are equally as important to lose weight.

Calorie Counting

Food is fuel, which means your nutrition and diet are key to weight loss. Make sure you log your foods to hold yourself accountable.

Additionally, meal prepping 5-6 meals a day to eat every three hours will help you manage your appetite. By eating so often, you’ll be less likely to binge on junk foods later.

Eating your meals as scheduled will help you control your appetite and cravings. Ryne’s favorite rule is “everything in moderation.” This goes back to setting realistic goals!

Make A Calendar

Write down your tasks that you can do every day or every week. Scheduling your daily camp and making it every time will help you feel productive and hold yourself accountable.

It only takes 21 days to build a habit. By completing your task list every day and every week, you’re building healthy habits and replacing bad habits.

Mindset Is Everything

All month long we’ve been giving you tips on how you can be a healthier version of yourself. From meal prepping to recipes, we have you covered.

Now, you have to do your part! Hold yourself accountable by keeping a positive mindset. Fitness isn’t a destination, it’s a journey – more importantly, it’s your journey.

If you need some assistance in staying focused, schedule a focus meeting! Your trainer wants to guide you throughout your fitness journey, so don’t be afraid to ask questions.

We know the holidays can be hectic, but that’s no excuse to let your hard work go to waste. Start improving now!

Your Trainer Is Human

No goal is unreachable, especially with help. While living like your trainer can seem tough, they’re just as human as you.

Your Burn Boot Camp trainers are your Transformation Experts. They want to see you succeed and dominate your goals inside and outside of camp. We get better every day together.

Tune into Burn TV LIVE every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7 pm EST.

Find Your Balance

Balance is a necessary characteristic for all aspects of our lives, but especially in our bodies. To be an athlete, you need both strength and balance.

Christen Jackson, Head Trainer at Burn Boot Camp Mount Juliet and Burn Athlete, is sharing her favorite ways to stay strong. We train like athletes here at Burn Boot Camp, and we encourage you to join us.

Why It Matters

As we age, our bones become dense and our bodies can become weaker. By practicing moves that build strength and balance daily, you’ll prevent aches and pains in the future.

Balance in particular helps you perform all exercises, especially at Burn Boot Camp. Good balance promotes a full range of motion and mobility. Pair balance with strength and you’ve made a match!

For those who have been injured, you’re not doomed to a life of imbalance. Burn Boot Camp knows exactly how to work with injuries to develop the same strengths as everyone else.

Balance Exercises

Single Leg Balance – This involves standing on one foot while lifting the opposite foot off of the ground. Put your arms straight overhead to engage all of your core and one leg. Move your arms up and down slowly.

To modify up, add a weight or a medicine ball. By lifting a weight overhead up and down, you’ll improve your balance greatly. To go even further, stand on a Bosu ball and continue the movement.

Hint: Perform a few extra reps on your weaker side to increase strength to be fully balanced. 

Single Leg Deadlift – Put one foot behind you and have a slight bend in your knees. Holding a kettle bell, go down into a deadlift. As you become stronger, work your way up to having the back leg off of the ground.

Hint: Engage your core with all of these exercises for improved balance. 

Bulgarian Split Squat – You’ll need a plyometric box and your body. Stand in front of the box and put your back foot on the top. It will look like an elevated lunge!

Push through the heel on the ground to engage your legs. Don’t forget to tighten your core to stay engaged and balanced!

Bird Dogs – Get into a high plank on the ground. Lift your opposite arm and opposite leg slowly to focus on balance. Holding this position will help you work your way up to switching frequently.

Side Plank – Get into a high plank position and pivot your body to the right. Keep your arm up for extra balance or both feet beside each other.

Switch back and forth from left to right. Keep your belly button tucked in and make sure you’re squeezing your abdominal muscles.

Strength Exercises

Compound movements are the key to developing strength because it engages several muscle groups. Use 15 lbs. or more to increase your strength effectively.

Hint: If you can lift heavier than the 15 lb. dumbbells, lift heavier. If you can rep 12-15 easily, increase your weight. 

Bicep Curl Press – Begin in a bicep-curl position, curl up and push up into a shoulder press. This engages all the muscles in your arm to build that strength

Squat Press – Go into your squat with the weights by your side. Once you’re in a squat position, press up into a shoulder press. The movement should be one fluid movement!

Renegade Rows – Get into a high plank position with your hands on your weights. Lift one weight with your elbow tucked in your side, and then lift the other. Go into a push-up, and do it again!

Hint: Stay within the 12-15 rep range to increase strength. 

Super Strength

To incorporate balance and strength, practicing handstands can help greatly. Christen makes her ladies do single-arm handstands!

If you’re starting out, make sure you walk up the wall forward. This means your face should be towards the wall!

For a more advanced move, kick up with your back against the wall. Try to get the balance on one side and lift one arm up and down.

To prevent injury, push through your hands and fingers. By pushing only through your wrists, you can increase your chances of wrist issues in the future!

Check out Christen killing her single-arm handstand at the end of the video. Talk about motivation!

Tune into Burn TV LIVE every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7 pm EST.

Kiah Douglas, Head Trainer of Burn Boot Camp Sandy Springs brings us back to the basics of how to clean up our diet and work hard in the gym.You don’t need to be a beginner to find Kiah’s segment helpful!

Kiah gives us the advice we need by breaking the segment into five helpful categories. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just beginning in your fitness journey, these tips can help you reach your fitness and nutritional goals. 

“Eat More, Lose More”

CRAP vs. FOOD is an important lesson we practice and preach here at Burn Boot Camp. CRAP is an acronym that stands for Carbonated, Refined , Artificial, and Processed. FOOD is an acronym that stands for Fruits/Veggies, Organic (lean meats), Omegas/Fats, Drink (more water). To turn your diet around, switch CRAP with FOOD.

Macronutrients

Macros can seem complicated, but they really only consist of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. It’s important to reach the ratios of 45% protein, 35% carbohydrates and 20% fats to gain muscle and lose fat. Meeting with your trainer can help you dial in on how to meet those ratios so that you can fuel your body after your tough camp.

Understanding Labels

Kiah takes us “grocery shopping” to give us a great representation of how to read labels successfully so that we can meet our macros. It’s important to eat your meals with the majority of your macronutrients being protein. Kiah’s grocery shopping examples can help you get started with clean eating!

What To Eat Pre/Post Workout

A common issue found that leads to stagnant weight loss is not eating enough. It’s important to eat both pre and post workout to prepare and replenish your body. Ignite is a great way to feel more energized before a workout, but can also be accompanied by a snack like half of a banana. Additionally, Afterburn is a clean, post-workout protein that helps your body replenish what it has just burned in camp.

Experiencing Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

DOMS can be experienced 24-48 hours after a workout, which is the inflammation and soreness of your muscles. This might happen to people who haven’t worked out in awhile. It’s imperative to fuel your body with anti-inflammatory foods!

Tune into Burn TV LIVE every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 pm.

Building Confidence

Burn Boot Camp is a fit community of women who do extraordinary things on a daily basis. From making a 5:30 am camp to working a full day, they’re dedicated.

We strive to achieve confidence to live a healthy lifestyle, and that’s why Erin Studdard, Owner of Burn Boot Camp South Durham, is talking about Stress Urinary Incontinence. It’s a topic that some of us might blush at the sound of,  but almost every woman has experienced it at some point in time!

Erin walks us through exercises to prevent stress on the bladder during workouts, while helping us build confidence to handle it!

Exercises

With all of the demonstrated exercises, it’s important to tighten the core and pelvic muscles. Don’t forget to breathe!

Glute Bridge 

Wall Sit Squat

Jumping Jacks

Tune into Burn TV LIVE every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 pm.

Pace Yourself

Running tends to be the exercise of choice. But there is a lot more to running than simply running. We’re here to help you learn more about the different aspects of running. The biggest point being your Heart Rate. Your Heart Rate is incredibly important whether you’re running or completing a Burn Boot Camp Leg Day. As a result, it can help you keep your pace and let you know how much harder you need to push yourself.

Scott Tobin, Head Trainer at Burn Boot Camp Creedmoor, explains his 5 Lactic Threshold Heart Rate Zones. In simpler terms, the different zones to train in depending on your goals. Camp is a zone 5 while a light jog is a zone 1 or 2.

Train Smart

While these terms can seem scary, don’t let them scare you! These zones can help you develop a training program for running a 5K or Marathon. Scott presents how to get your own personalized numbers so that you can run smart. Check out the 5 LTHR zones are listed below:

Zone 1 Less than 85% of LTHR <
Zone 2 85% to 89% of LTHR
Zone 3 90% to 94% of LTHR
Zone 4 95% to 99% of LTHR
Zone 5a 100% to 102% of LTHR
Zone 5b 103% to 106% of LTHR
Zone 5c More than 106% of LTHR

Tune into Burn TV LIVE every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 pm.

Defining your delts, it is as important as defining any other muscle group.Your delts are an important muscle that can impact how you perform in camp. Shoulders are more dynamic than other areas of the body, which means there’s a higher chance of injury if you neglect good form and overall health.

Eli Tinkle, Head Trainer of Burn Boot Camp Eau Claire, explains joint mobility and how to keep our shoulder joints conditioned and ready for athletic performance. He shows us a series of moves to do before working out to increase mobility during a workout.

Train Hard

Eli demonstrates several exercises that can help build more muscle and aid weakness. By practicing these moves in good form, you can protect and define your shoulders.

1. Overhead Press
2. Push-Ups
3. Pull-Up
4. Underhand Row
5. Face Pull
6. Lateral Raise

Tune into Burn TV LIVE every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 pm.

Stay Positive

Beginning a lifestyle change can be intimidating. Most people experience obstacles like negative thoughts and people when they first start making changes. It’s important to stay positive as you ork hard to create healthier habits.

Christen Jackson, Head Trainer of Burn Boot Camp Mount Juliet, guides us through different scenarios where negativity can show up in our lives and how to handle it. Whether it be a negative thought or a negative friend, she gives us advice on how to cope, and turn the situation into a positive one.

Mind Over Matter

The phrase, “Mind Over Matter,” is vital to us at Burn Boot Camp. Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. Surround yourself with people and habits that make you better and encourage a positive attitude. Radiate positivity and keep killing it in camp!

Tune into Burn TV LIVE every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 pm.