January 3, 2010
My Goals And Predictions For 2010!
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?
Filed under Fit Moms For Life DVD, Kids Fitness, Mindset, Transformations, Uncategorized, bootcamps by admin
September 27, 2009
Madison Weight Loss Fitness Program
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
Filed under Abdominal Training, Cardio Workouts, Core Training, Lowerbody toning, Uncategorized, bootcamps by admin
September 15, 2009
2009 Ford Ironman Championships Madison Wisconsin
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.
Filed under Behavior Change, Cardio Workouts, Mindset, Uncategorized, bootcamps by admin
September 11, 2009
Is 50 The New 30?
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?
Filed under Behavior Change, NBC Morning Segments, Uncategorized, bootcamps by admin
July 6, 2009
A Kick In The Butt
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!
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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
Filed under Behavior Change, Mindset, bootcamps by admin
June 11, 2009
What Are You Investing In
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
Filed under Behavior Change, Healthy Snacks, Mindset, Nutrition, Uncategorized, bootcamps by admin
As I have become a more experienced trainer throughout the years, I have gotten to work with more and more people and some of my preconceived notions of the body, aging, and fitness levels have been changed. No longer do I believe that when a person turns 40, their fitness levels drop off too much, no longer do I believe that someone in their 50’s-60’s can’t feel better than when they were in their 40’s.
It all comes down to consistent proper training and consistent nutrition.
Today, I am excited to share with you a story of one of my clients who literally looks WAY better now than in college, over 20 years ago! She has found the secret of Fit Fun Bootcamps and high intensity weight training and cardio. I want to thank her for her story and her willingness to share her message to the world… just because you are getting older doesn’t mean you can’t reach peak performance.
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Here is her story in her own words:
Tracy in college
“I have been a member of Supreme Health and Fitness for at least 13 years and have been active most of my life. I was the typical athlete in high school and even played soccer at a division 3 school in college. I always thought that I was fit and I was always on the smaller size until I went to college and discovered late night pizza and beer. I gained about 15 lbs in college and had a hard time losing that weight while in college despite playing sports and leisurely working out at the school gym a couple days a weeks.
After college I joined an athletic club/gym and started taking classes and experimenting a little with weights. I noticed that I was able to turn some of the fat to muscle and started to lose some inches. I kept this regimen up for many years working out 4-5 times/week and felt good. About 7 years ago I met some people at Supreme Health and Fitness that introduced me to the idea of doing sprint triathlons. I completed my first triathlon in the summer of 2004 . It was a great accomplishment for me and I intended to do more of them, but became very hooked on cycling and that became my passion. My husband and I have been very fortunate to do a lot of cycling together and even incorporate it into vacations that are centered around cycling.
My fitness routine has always been about using a variety of exercises to keep my weight down and has been very centered around cardio. About 3 years ago I started taking the Body Pump weight classes offered at Supreme and was very excited about adding weights to my routine and felt good. I did this routine for about 2 years, 3 times/week with the addition of cycling/spinning and a little bit of running. I thought this seemed to be working but I was getting bored until last spring when I saw some fliers at Supreme advertising Dustin’s Fit Fun Boot Camp.
I had seen Dustin around our gym and was always intrigued by the exercises he was having his clients complete, so I decided to sign-up for his outdoor boot camp class at Elver park. I was very excited to try something new, but I had no idea how this class was going to be so life altering. At the start of 6 weeks we took measurements and More on Tracy Looks and Feels Better Today Than In College 22 Years Ago!
Filed under Behavior Change, Transformations, Uncategorized, bootcamps by admin
If you have been following me for any length of time or have trained with me, you know the first thing I do with a client who sees me for fat loss and has been a chronic long distance cardio person, is tell them to stop immediately!
For many looking to lose weight long slow intensity cardio just doesn’t seem to work. I don’t have all the answers to why, but just look around at everyone in the gym who is on treadmills or ellipticals at a very slow speed. Many are overweight, not all of course, but many. I am not saying running an hour per day 5 days a week will turn you fat, but for many running an hour a day won’t cause much if any fat loss. More on Interval Training: The 21st Century Fat Loss Solution
Filed under Blog, Cardio Workouts, bootcamps by admin
May 4, 2009
Hamstring and Butt Toning Exercise
Today in the video we talk about having a workout buddy. If you are looking for a great way to be accountable with others under the guidance of a highly qualified trainer, check out Madison Fit Fun Bootcamps.
The exercise you are about to see is one of the toughest and most intense exercises you can do to target the hamstrings. In most people, the hamstring is underdeveloped compared to the quadricep. This will require a partner, so grab your husband, wife, or friend and give this one a shot! If you are looking for a great butt lifting exercise, you should definitely add this to the list!
I also wanted to give a HUGE thanks to John Hall for all the videos he did with me. I really hope I can get back down to Chicago or have him to come up to do some more video. Be sure to check out his website.
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More on Hamstring and Butt Toning Exercise
Filed under Blog by admin
April 26, 2009
Try Something Extreme!
Today’s video is certainly entertaining and will provide you with some smiles watching me not only get dominated by John, but really experiencing some good pain along the way. (I have been told by many of you that you love watch me hurt, you sick individuals 
)
This is the second to last video I have for you with John and I. We had been going hard for about 45 minutes filming when we got to this one.
Before the video, I want to talk about pushing yourself past limitations. These limitations can be both mental and physical. In nearly every case, the most successful weight loss clients, and highest level athletes that I have worked with, all possess this trait. It is the can-do-attitude and belief that they can do anything, and if they can’t do it, they will try.
An excuse I hear a lot when clients don’t want to challenge themselves is that they are afraid they are going to get hurt. Being safe and staying healthy is one of my most important goals for my clients. I am not talking about doing anything stupid and foolish, but at some point you need to push your body past what it is use to. If you do it correctly it shouldn’t cause you any injuries, but some use that as a reason to not do it at all. Sure there is always a small chance of something happening, but the cost of not trying is much worse.
How do you think I learned how to do all that crazy stuff standing on a ball? It took some practice and a few very exciting falls!
I recently had a new bootcamper who came to class, she wasn’t too overweight, maybe could have lost 20 lbs or so, but mostly had NO muscle tone on her body. She struggled through the workout, but actually did quite well, I was very impressed. The next day I received an email that this person felt overwhelmed and was challenged too much and wanted to quit. After some back and forth conversation she decided she didn’t want to continue, but rather listen to a family member who was a trainer who told her to walk for 30 minutes on a treadmill and do some crunches and lunges. I truly wish this person the best of luck, but gladly refunded her the money and sent her on her way. She was obviously not ready for creating massive change in her life and wasn’t ready to work hard to get it. Anybody can walk for 30 minutes on a treadmill and do a few crunches, but what will that get them? Very little. More on Try Something Extreme!
Filed under Behavior Change, Blog, Cardio Workouts, In-home workouts by admin
