My Boss, Friend, and World Class Athlete, Shana Martin
This past weekend I tried something that I have wanted to do for a long time, but just never got around to. For many years I have seen my boss Shana Martin become the world champion logroller and it always looked like something fun to try. I got my chance this past weekend in a local tournament. Shana asked myself along with many of the local news reporters to compete. I think the reason they did this was to laugh at us and show everyone watching that it isn’t nearly as easy as the kids and pros make it look.
I did end up winning, barely beating out my girlfriend Abby in the first round and then beating my client David Douglas in the finals. (I would have never heard the end of it if I lost to my client)
Here is the video of the event. I wanted to show this to you because partly due to humility… I was so bad at it, and also to encourage you that it doesn’t matter if you are awful starting something out. There is a learning curve for everything. It matters how you progress. I only had about 10 minutes of training before I competed, but I can promise you if I practiced a couple more times I would be able to do much better. So don’t let the embarrassment of failure keep you from following your dreams, or at least your desires.
The point of this is my challenge to you to do something different this summer. Try a new activity or sport that you have wanted to try but never got around to it or are scared of doing. I have come up with a list of 64 activities that you can do that will burn calories and have fun doing! I know there are many reading this in the Madison area scared to come to my Fit Fun Bootcamp or MamaTone because they have heard stories of how hard it is. Get over yourself and your fears, embrace humility, and let us help you and blow away any preconceived notions of your genetic potential.
Shana With Her Mom Who is Fighting Huntington's Disease
1. Swimming
2. Jogging/Running
3. Martial Arts
4. Frisbee Golf
5. Yoga
6. Basketball
7. Skimboarding
8. Bike Riding
9. Scavenger Hunt
10. Rollerblading
11. Kayaking/Canoeing
12. Golf
13. Ping-Pong
14. Zumba
15. Wrestling
16. Water Parks
17. Trampoline
18. Football
19. Kickboxing
20. Paintballing
21. Croquet
22. Baseball/Softball
23. Kickball
24. Elliptical Machine
25. Dodgeball
26. Climbing Stairs
27. Bouldering
28. Rugby
29. Walking
30. Gardening
31. Ultimate Frisbee
32. Step Aerobics
33. Tetherball
34. Water Polo
35. Water Gun/Balloon Fight
36. Pillow Fight
37. Wash Car By Hand
38. Hiking
39. Badminton
40. Archery
41. Chop Firewood
42. Hide-And-Go-Seek
43. Rock Climbing
44. Waterskiing/Wakeboarding
45. Window Shopping
46. Hopscotch
47. Volleyball
48. Fly a Kite
49. Raking Leaves
50. Tennis
51. Soccer
52. Kite Boarding
53. Jungle Gym/Swings
54. Boxing
55. Hockey
56. Gymnastics
57. Dancing
58. Horseback Riding
59. Tag
60. Skateboarding
61. Orienteering
62. Jumping Rope
63. Bowling
64. Self-Defense Class
65. Skiing/Snowboarding
Here is another video from this past weekend from ABC. I am in the blue shorts and you can see me for a couple seconds about 2/3rds of the way through the video. All money raised goes to an awesome cause, which is to fight Huntington’s Disease, which is one of the nastiest diseases out there.
Now It is Your Turn… In The Comment Box Below, Commit To Everyone That You Are Going To Try One New Thing This Summer. No Excuses, Just Do It!
One of the biggest reasons Fit Fun Bootcamps has been such a big hit (besides the great results and community that is built) is the fun and unique factor. In this video I have two bootcampers Lauren and Amy who have been coming to Fit Fun Bootcamp for about 9 months and have seen some incredible toning and increases in their athletic performance.
Check it out.
Pushing cars is a great family activity that the kids love to do as well. Plus you will never be worried about running out of gas again because you know you can push it 
If you are doing this with kids, please be safe and push on a flat area and make sure someone is near the brake in case something happens.
Here is another video I found from over a year ago in MamaTone Class where the moms are working hard to push a big SUV up the hill. My mom was in town and did the filming which explains the shakiness
Mary Before Fit Fun Bootcamp
I know there are people from all over the world who read this, but for those of us in the Midwest United States, it has finally gotten warm—with highs getting into the 80′s! With summer nearing, getting workouts in outside is very desirable. After a long winter, the fresh air and bright sun are all we need to lift our spirits and brighten our day.
Fit Fun Bootcamps always get very popular in the summer because people just don’t want to be inside any longer. Today I want to share with you some great exercises you can do outside with a medicine ball. Medicine balls are one of the most popular tools I use to train my clients because they are very simple, inexpensive ($20-$50 depending on weight), and easy to transport.
Mary has lost a couple of jean sizes and, at the age of 40, is in the best shape of her life. I am very proud of everything she has done and the extreme intensity she brings to each workout. She definitely deserves the results.
Please note that this video was filmed a couple of weeks ago. We have bootcamp every Saturday at 8 AM at Elver Park, which is free for current bootcampers and a $10 drop in for everyone else. We will be doing another big kickoff in a couple of weeks because the weather was very bad the first time around.
Here is the list of exercises we did with the medicine balls.
-2 ball squats
-2 ball squat jumps
-2 ball high knee running
-Sit-up ball toss
-Med ball slamdowns
What is your favorite medicine ball workout?
Today I have a special guest write named Alecia. She was recently on CBS news with me showing some great lower body exercises. What impressed me most about Alecia was how hard she continued to work throughout her pregnancy as well as soon after she delivered the baby. At this point I need to say that I am not a doctor and you should check with your doctor to make sure you are cleared to exercises.
For those of you who are further along in the Fit Moms For Life DVDs you might recognize her as one of the moms in the DVD, but she did it while she was 7 months pregnant so you might not have recognized her. She is also the star of one of my new DVD programs that will be released late summer to early fall for moms who have a baby and want to workout with the baby.
Here is Alecia!
I have to say I am super excited to be writing about this! Pregnancy and exercise, I could talk about them all day if someone would let me! For me exercising while pregnant was just as important as eating healthy and taking prenatal vitamins. Your growing baby is counting on you to give it the best start possible and anything you can do to improve that is awesome. I exercised during both of my pregnancies, but after I could really tell that how I exercised made a big difference in how I felt while pregnant, during labor and then after with baby.
Alecia, 6 months after giving birth and 3X per week of heavy lifting and interval training
In my first pregnancy I exercised 3-4 days a week, running, using the elliptical and a few step aerobic classes here and there. In the beginning of my second pregnancy I was again doing cardio classes and feeling pretty good I thought. Then my sister and I decided to try a Mamatone class (same as bootcamps) and wow, was it different from what I had been doing! I was sore for 3 weeks straight (a good sore, the kind of sore that makes you feel like you did something great!) and I wasn’t even a newbie, I exercised 5-6 days a week! I had never used heavy weights before, the heaviest I had ever lifted were 10 lb dumbbells and I thought those were tough! I of course was mindful of my body and how I was lifting, certain moves didn’t feel comfortable and so I would modify them or just skip them all together. For the most part though I could do the same as everyone else. Other than being sore what I noticed most at first was how my body was different from my first go round. I was gaining weight at about the same rate but my body was so different. I was leaner looking (in a healthy, pregnant way), less swollen and my muscles were more defined. I had always thought what happened in my first pregnancy would automatically happen in the second so I was pleasantly surprised when although I gained the same I looked and felt so much better, this I credit to the addition of weight training. I stopped weighing myself after a while, I was eating healthy and exercising so it really didn’t matter to me what my weight was. I will tell you though that I gained more than is recommended (I ate very good 95% of the time, pregnancy wasn’t a free for all, so the only reason I can come up with that I gained what I did must be from decreasing the amount of exercise I would have normally been doing) so after I didn’t just have a few lbs to lose. I can tell you though it was much more difficult to move with the added weight but once it does start coming off it became easier and easier to move around and the bad aches and pains slowly become a thing of the past.
Another major bonus of doing more weight training vs. great amounts of cardio was that it was much easier on my body. As the relaxin hormone increased throughout pregnancy the pounding and quick movements of cardio classes and running were taking a toll on my joints and leaving me in a great deal of pain. I was able to do weight training right up until the end with just a few modifications. It wasn’t as strenuous on my joints and it left me in much better shape all around.
Keeping fit while pregnant is a healthy and smart choice to make but for me the best pay off was during labor and after with my baby. My first labor was long and not the most pleasant experience, so for my second labor I wanted to try something completely different. I decided to do self-hypnosis (hypnobabies), which sounds a bit kooky I know but it was pretty amazing and it fell right in line with my training. I truly felt little pain during my labor; I was able to get in the ‘zone’ that some of you may have gotten to in doing physical exercise. Your muscles are on fire but yet somehow you don’t really feel pain, you are just so focused on the end result that you press on, you are strong and you get it done! The people around me were amazed at how comfortable and calm I was, much of the time they couldn’t even tell if I was having contractions or not. Which if you’ve had a contraction or watched a woman having one you know when it’s happening and to not know is pretty incredible. For me it was just perfect, I was able to tap into skills I already had to get the outcome I so badly wanted. *Studies show that keeping up with regular exercise while pregnant can lead to shorter and less complicated labor*
Now, if you have children or have carried one for any extended period of time you know how physically exhausting that can be, throw in nursing in awkward positions and you’ve got a recipe for some major neck and back pain and even injuries. After my first baby I was getting massages weekly because I was so sore from nursing and carrying him all the time (although hmm…weekly massages, that actually doesn’t sound so bad!!). But really it was terribly painful and I felt that way for weeks on end. After realized this was because my core was weak from pregnancy and I hadn’t developed strong back muscles prior. I would not let this happen again! I did a lot of strengthening of my back and this time although I still had some discomfort in my lower back in the first few days it was nothing compared to the last time. To give example, last week when I took my kids to the zoo, I had a hungry baby and a two year old who would never think of sitting and waiting while I fed his sister. So I had to push the stroller (that of course had an infant car seat in it!) to keep up with my ever so excited two year old and nurse my 18 lb baby with no other support but my arm and for ten minutes; that can get pretty darn tiring! Things like that happen all the time, as moms we are multitasking all day long and it takes a toll on our bodies. In taking care of ourselves with exercise and weight training we can better keep up with our fast moving children and leave the massages for relaxation instead of easing our injured muscles!
-Alecia, 28 Madison
Great job Alecia, any new moms have questions for Alecia?
As I ponder and look back on 2009, I am very grateful for all the opportunities as well as challenges that I experienced. One year ago I never would have thought that the blog I had just started is now getting 1,000-2,000 visitors each day, and that I would have close to 2000 current clients through Fit Moms For Life, Got Core, Fit Fun Bootcamps, and Mamatone.
I would sum up this year as uncomfortable. I have never spent more time being uncomfortable than this year. What I mean by “being uncomfortable” is that I did things that I knew I should do, but made me scared, nervous, and anxious. One of the most challenging things was becoming comfortable with making my own DVDs. I now have made 14 DVDs this year! At first it was very challenging; it wasn’t easy watching myself on camera or hearing my voice. Even though I have a long way to go with my on-camera skills, I am improving every day (after watching all my DVDs, I use certain phrases WAY too much, sorry for those who have to put up with that!). But here is the take away message I want you to remember; anything you do doesn’t have to be perfect. So often in life we wait until everything is perfect to start that new job, get into a new relationship, get in shape, or focus on your relationship with your spouse. I have realized that we are wasting so much time waiting for the perfect time to do anything! If I hadn’t gotten past my fears, I wouldn’t have filmed the DVDs and been able to help 100′s of amazing people who I didn’t have access to prior. I don’t possess anything special that you don’t have, so make 2010 the year of being uncomfortable!
I get asked frequently if I am planning on leaving Madison and moving to Hollywood, the answer is that I have no plans on doing so. I want to give you a little insight into my plans for 2010 and then want to hear about what you would like me to do. Who knows what will actually happen, but this is some of the things I want to accomplish.
1. Fit Fun Bootcamps: With 10 locations I am very happy and pleased with where they are at. I would like to grow them a little more and really focus on creating the most incredible experience to each bootcamper. I want to create more and more value for each bootcamper. I don’t plan on expanding to many more locations because it takes so much energy and time to do so and spreads me very thin.
2. MamaTone: Very similar to bootcamps, I don’t plan on adding more times and locations, but finding ways to add more value and service to each MamaToner.
3. Fit Moms For Life DVDs: I will continue to focus on expanding the number of moms who join my monthly Fit Moms For Life DVD program. I am looking to add additional resources such as CDs and maybe even a newsletter at some point. I want to find ways to create a more cohesive and tight community for the hundreds of moms who are part of the program. I want to create much more accountability in order to guarantee results. I also want to be more accessible for more Q&A times.
4. Blog: I have been very pleased about how the blog has grown and am so excited to continue to provide valuable content and help increase your commitment and motivation towards being the healthiest you can. I also want this blog to be a platform where we can make a positive difference in the world, not just from a fitness standpoint. I am looking forward to more and more feedback from you on specific blog posts. I think the best blog posts are the ones that I share my information and opinion and then you comment and add value to the conversation by either agreeing and explaining why, or disagreeing and saying why, or adding an additional viewpoint!
New Projects
1. Create some new DVDs that couples or friends can do together… All my DVDs can be done with two people doing the same thing, but I want to make some workouts that require the teamwork of two people to accomplish.
2. Kids workouts: I want to create a bunch of 10 minute workouts that kids can do with their parents that are both fun and challenging. I want the workouts to set a strong anchor in their lives that working out is not only healthy to do, but also fun!
3. Start doing my own live TV show on the internet. I have been researching this a lot and buying all the technology that I need, so I will be getting this going soon!
4. I want to do more and more teleseminars which will allow me to go into much more depth and detail on specific topics than I can on my blog, and also allow me to help those who don’t live near me. Click here to join my first teleseminar program!
5. Finish my book, Fit Moms For Life: I will be looking for many of you who are women to be in the book. I am structuring it similar to the Body For Life book and having personal stories of women getting amazing results through my program. This will add a very powerful personal touch that will really help women out there who are doubting that they can achieve what they want in life.
6. Transformation contests that are another way to get people to exercise and eat healthy. Contests are such a good way to set a goal and have an end date that you strive towards getting to.
7. ???? Who knows. This is where you can help me out!
What would you like me to do this year to help you blow away any fitness and health related goals that you have for 2010?
This past weekend Fit Fun Bootcamps kicked off the indoor season in a big way with 97 adults and 25 kids participating in the workout. It was great to see so many people and families coming together to invest in themselves, get a great workout in, and have lots of FUN in the process!
I wanted to thank 8 of my trainers for being there to help out with it! Thank you: Ryan, Marsue, Deb, Abby, Kelli, Allie, Shane, and Matt!
Hopefully Youtube won’t take the audio off this video. I chose Michael Jackson’s Man in The Mirror song. The song doesn’t have the greatest beat for a workout video, but it shares a very powerful message… We can’t change anyone else without changing ourselves first. The 97 bootcampers who came, were creating that change from within!
With 7 locations and a couple more possibly on its way, I would like to invite you to come check out what all the buzz More on Madison Weight Loss Fitness Program
This past Sunday was one of my favorite days of the year. My home town of Madison, WI is host to one of the IronMan races. Some people think that I am a triathlon and ironman hater because I don’t think it is the best way to lose fat. I did get a few emails from people amazed at some of the larger athletes, but at the same time, we don’t know their whole story. Two of the largest people I saw competing had actually lost a lot of weight, one woman had lost 180 lbs and a guy had lost 220 lbs! So obviously training like they did and probably eating much better than before, did wonders for their weight.
But I still hold steady to my belief that resistance training with interval training is far better at burning fat than 20-35 plus hours of cardio that they do each week to prepare for their race.
Ok, enough with the whole losing fat debate! An Ironman finish is unbelievable. The amount of mental and physical strength it takes a person to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and then run a marathon 26.218 miles is awe inspiring and extremely impressive. The race takes the average person between 12-16 hours to finish. Each year I either cry or get teary eyed watching the race.
Each person has a story, I wish I could hear all of them! I biked the Ironman bike loop last week and met a guy as he flew passed me. He asked me if I was competing next week and I said, “no, but I will be watching!” It turns out he was going to be competing for his 4th time, but 9 weeks earlier he had a tumor removed from his brain and only 4 weeks ago got permission from his doctor to start training… and here he is flying by me on his bike, if that doesn’t give you goosebumps, I don’t know what does!
There was even a guy in his 70′s that completed the race. Remember anything is possible if you put your mind to it. The only thing stopping you is your limiting beliefs!
About 8 months ago I featured another story about Dick and Rick Hoyt who do the Ironman races together, if you don’t know who they are, you need to click this link after reading this post and watch the video, keep Kleenex handy though!
I put together a little video from the race for those who didn’t want to get up at 5:30 AM or those who don’t live in Wisconsin or the United States. I didn’t get any bike footage because I was cheering on my Vikings (sorry Packer fans!) to victory, but got back in time to see the pros finishing.
Enjoy the video that is very raw and unedited.
If you are in the Madison or surrounding area and were inspired by these stories and video and want to maybe compete in a short triathlon or just want to get to a place where your body can do what you want it to do, I would like to invite you to come check out one of my many Fit Fun Bootcamps, where every day heroes are changing their bodies, changing their beliefs, and changing their attitudes. If you haven’t tried one out before, I would like to offer you a FREE week trial (just tell the instructor you read this on the blog) I would love to be able to work with you and help change your life more than you could ever believe!
We are kicking off our indoor season of bootcamps on Sept 26th at 8 AM at MadTown Twisters on the west side of Madison with a FREE 60 minute bootcamp. Bring the whole family, there will be trainers there to work with your kids as well. Invite whomever you want, our goal is to have well over 100 attend!
Breaking News!
New indoor bootcamp schedule announcement! Click the link to find out where our 7 indoor locations are going to be held starting Oct 1st.
Looking younger is a multi billion dollar business, from botox, to implants, to body lifts, to skin creams. It seems the world just doesn’t want to look or feel old.
While all of the above techniques can help, I have one that works far better than all of those! Live a life of healthy eating and consistent exercise! One of my heroes and mentors Jack LaLanne is living proof that age is just a number!
One important thing that I believe in so strongly is strength training. It becomes even more important when someone reaches their 40′s and 50′s. The average person loses half a pound of muscle each year after the age of 25. Muscle creates shape, muscle creates tone, muscle makes everything you do easier, and muscle helps keep your metabolism elevate.
I like to showcase some of my clients who are living proof of what I believe. Today, I would like to introduce you to Beth. Beth is 49 and a mother of 4 kids. She has been very faithfully attending MamaTone now for over 1 year, and even though she never had a weight issue, she has transformed her body into a lean tight body that could easily pass for a 30 year old.
Beth tells everyone who comes to MamaTone that even more important that the physical changes she has seen is the mental changes; she is able to handle the stress of 4 kids that are in their teenage years as well as having more energy to keep up with her kids.
Beth has realized that taking 45 minutes for herself a couple times a week is the most unselfish thing she can do, because she now has the body and the energy and the patience to be the best mom, wife, and friend possible. More on Is 50 The New 30?
We had an awesome workout this morning at Fit Fun Bootcamp! It is such a great way to start the day out. As I was talking with some of the bootcampers this morning they said that this was just what they needed after a weekend full of eating, drinking, and celebrating. (I find it interesting, that food and alcohol always seems to be necessary for a celebration)
If you did eat poorly this weekend, I encourage you to eat even more fruit and drink more water today and the rest of the week to help cleanse your body of all the poisons and chemicals.
For some, this weekend may have been just another weekend where you self sabotaged or just wasn’t on your “A” game.
I thought today would be a great time to give you some motivation to get back up and get going.
Even if you are doing awesome with your workouts, eating habits, and your life in general, this short video clip from Rocky will pump you up!
embedded by Embedded Video
YouTube Direkt
If you are struggling to find time to go to the gym or not sure what you should be doing to maximize your fat loss, I have created an in home workout and nutrition program that is simple yet highly effective at burning fat. I am giving away my first DVD and CD as an incentive to try the program out. In the first week, we have over 150 who have joined the program.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
I have been flying quite a bit the past couple years and have met so many interesting people on my flights. Most ask what I do, and when I tell them I am a body transformation specialist, the fun begins. If I am sitting next to someone who obviously could use my services I usually get what I call “confessional time” by the person. You would think I was a priest and they were sharing all of their sins with me. I usually hear the traditional “I really want to be in better shape, but I just don’t seem to have the time for it,” or “I start to workout, but then I quit,” or “I have tried to exercise and eat better and I don’t lose weight.”
A couple weeks ago I flew out to Orange County and sat by this woman who was 74 years old. She had more energy and zest for life than many people I meet in their 20′s and 30′s. She obviously made health and fitness one of her top priorities. Not only did she look amazing, but her mind was so sharp and quick. She walked 5-7 miles a day to stay active (at the end of the conversation she said I had convinced her to also start back up with strength training). As we talked for a couple hours I found out she had been a nutritional counselor for a large weight management company for many years. Like me, she was so saddened by the current state of health in America and particularly in kids.
We talked a lot about food and how that is the biggest culprit in our society today, and the food we are eating isn’t really food, but a bunch of man made chemicals and highly processed grains and fats.
She made a very interesting comment that has stuck with me that I keep referring back to, which is the reason I am writing this to you. She said that she has no problem paying extra for all natural, whole foods, fresh fruits, fresh veggies, because she knows the extra money she is spending in food, she is saving on all other types of things including, medication/drugs, not having to buy larger clothes, and sickness due to loss of work. She said she has never taken any medication or drugs in her life and she hasn’t been sick or had a cold in over 20 years. More on What Are You Investing In
