MyBootcamp on NBC - Part 2

In case you missed it, here is the video from the 2nd of 3 segments NBC (WRC) produced about MyBootcamp's Project 365. The 3rd will air next week so....stay tuned!

Video - Project 365

I worked with David this morning from Project 365. He has a very strong work ethic and has made great strides in his endurance. Take a look!

TRX Bootcamp - Potomac, MD

Starting April 5, my friend Melissa Kullen and I are co-leading a TRX Bootcamp right here in Potomac! It will be unlike anything you've ever experienced at a gym or your run of the mill bootcamp. We'll be using the TRX Suspension Trainer + the BRAND new TRX Rip Trainer, kettle bells, sand bags, tires, sledge hammers, fire hose -- Combining all of these state of the art tools for the most effective, integrated total body, workout you've ever had! Seriously, dont miss this....it's limited engagement and limited space! Get outside the box!

Details:

Tues and Thurs, 9am @ Hadley's Park.

Only $90/month and space is LIMITED to 12 participants!! Contact me to enroll....

Learn more about the brand new, amazing TRX Rip Trainer

Project 365 - No One Said It Would Be Easy

Guest Blog Post by David:

After working with Grant for the first 4 weeks, it seemed like I had started a journey that had no end. Here I am trying to break habits which I have formed over years and forcing myself to make changes for the better. To be perfectly honest, it’s a lot harder than I thought it would be. I am still find myself eating fast food, just not every day as before. For me it’s almost too hard to force myself to cook after a long day of work and commuting. I will just have to keep motivating myself and working towards a healthier lifestyle.

Exercise has definitely become easier after struggling for the first few weeks. I see small improvements and I set small goals for myself. I find that it helps keep me motivated and gives me small accomplishments to boost my confidence. I think what helped me most was when Grant showed me a video of a guy, who was overweight much like myself. He started slowly with exercise and eventually meet his end result. So what I have been doing is keeping that in the back of mind and taking it a step at a time. My weight hasn’t changed much, but my body composition is - I definitely feel stronger and my energy levels are improving slowly. The coolest thing is that I am less out of breath when I go up the stairs, which is a big plus.

Emotionally I have both good and bad days. Sometimes I wish I didn’t have to go through so much just be healthier. It feels like I have been punished for something but I have no idea what. It definitely effects my workouts and I think when I am feeling down my effort is also down. Right now I am having more good days than bad so hopefully things improve to the point where it’s hard to remember when I had a bad day.

I am still in the beginning of my journey and I have so much more to learn, it is hard but I feel like I can permanently change my life forever and I think that’s what keeps pushing me forward.

Project 365: Who Would You Rather Pay?

Guest blog post by JaNeese from Project 365!

"As someone who is far from being the poster child for healthy living, I wasn't quite sure what I could contribute to a blog about eating better, moving better, living better. But in life there is a lesson in everything - the CEO can learn something from the janitor, the parent can learn something from the child...and on and on...

So, as I began this journey of healthier living, Grant gave me the book 'Food Rules' to read. I must say, several of the catchy rules have stuck with me and I can almost hear them as I grocery shop, cook, eat, etc. Lunch time came today and as I browsed the food court in my building I settled on Subway for lunch. I know, I know...I should have just brought my lunch...but getting a 6 inch Subway sub is a thousand times better than the double quarter pounder and large fries I would usually reach for. I get to the register and as they were taught in Subway school, the lady at the register asks if I would like to add chips and a drink for $2 more. Tempted? Yes I was, but I wasn't falling for it. I declined and opted for a 12oz bottle of water instead. To my surprise the bottle of water brought my total higher than it would have been if I bought the chips AND the soda. With my jaw dropped I pulled out my debit card which the cashier managed to pry from my clinched fingers, swipe, and return to me before I could utter a protest.

As I walked away frustrated, one of the rules that I read in Food Rules came back to me: "It's better to pay the grocer than the doctor." That one thought brought it all back into perspective for me. As much as I wanted the chips and soda and as much as I would rather not pay $2.50 for a "sip" of water...I would much rather pay more for a healthier choice, than spend my life paying the doctor, surgeon, pharmacist, etc.

So this little story is to serve as some comfort when you have to bite the bullet and pay more for a healthier option, or as a reminder when you're faced with a choice between the $5 salad or the 99 cent cheeseburger. Who would you rather pay - the grocer or the doctor? Given the choice, I'll take the grocer every single time. After all, how much would you pay to have more years with your kids, family, spouse? Certainly more than $2.50..."

DIY Salad Dressing

The dressing is your salad's demise. A perfectly good, nutrient rich, heaping mound of colorful goodness...turned ugly by loads of calories and/or garbage ingredients. Ever looked at the ingredient list in salad dressing? Sugar, hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, xanthan gum, sodium benzoate, calcium disodium, EDTA, Yellow 5, sodium casseinate, monosodium glutamate...well you get the point. Rule of Thumb: If a first grader can't pronounce it, your body probably can't process it. (Side Bar, if you are interested in learning what all of these additives are and what they do, download an app called "Additives.") If it was derived in a chemistry lab in the past 50 years, chances are, our bodies, after having evolved over 10,000 years, are unfamiliar with it, dont know what to do with it and thusly respond to it with force as if it were a foreign intruder.

So, ditch the store bought dressing and do-it-yourself! A few months ago, we discovered a great dressing at Whole Foods that we loved - but it was expensive of course and we went through it fast. I looked at the ingredients and it was just a few whole ingredients that most people have on hand everyday. So i said, "Hey i can make this myself!"...And so can you with this simple recipe...

DIY Lemon Garlic Salad Dressing
1 part Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 part Lemon Juice (freshly squeezed or real lemon juice in a bottle, but beware of additives - it should just say "lemon juice" in the ingredients)
1 garlic glove

You can also substitute the lemon for any seasonal juice you may love. Try peach, strawberry, orange, whatever - pretty much anything will work! Toss it in a nice little artisan bottle (like mine in the picture) and add a sprig of rosemary or whatever fresh herbs you may have on hand and you're done! Now you've got a delicious, healthy and trustworthy dressing that actually adds value to your already amazing salad!

Eat Real Food and Enjoy! - Grant

DIY Gatorade

Gatorade is great for athletes, but for the average Joe or Jane, its generally overkill. Sports drinks in general are loaded with added sugar and often times will contain high fructose corn syrup, not to mention various other additives and preservatives and the trash that is created bottle after bottle. Recycle or not, trash is trash.

The point of the sports drink is to replace your body's electrolytes that are lost through sweat, in particular sodium and potassium (also included in the electrolyte family are chloride, calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate, sulfate, phosphate). Electrolyte is a fancy word for salt. Shocker, your body needs it (micro-tangent: Just make sure it's sea salt, not bleached, nutrient stripped fine grain table salt which is devoid of beneficial nutrients such as sodium's friend magnesium, who offsets the risk of high blood pressure caused by sodium alone.)

So, make your own homemade gatorade that has all of the same benefits and then some - no trash, no added sugar, saves money - and tastes (surprisingly) the same. So, here's the simple recipe:

2 parts filtered water

1 part OJ

Dash of Sea Salt

Wait a few moments for the salt to dissolve and enjoy!

Are You Chronically Dehydrated?

...most of us are. And no, soda doesnt count - it actually dehydrates, as does coffee. Not sports drinks or other sugar waters either. Pure, unadultured h2o. The rule of thumb is this - 8x8...8 oz's 8 times a day OR drink 50% of your body weight. 160 lbs, drink 80 oz a day. Your pee-pee should be CLEAR, not yellow and please for the love, not orange. Drinking water will help you lose weight and boost your immune system by eliminating toxins and dont complain about frequent visits to the restroom (read this). If its NOT clear, go grab a glass of water...and wait for it, wait for it.....a fruit or vegetable that matches "the color." ;) an orange, banana, baby carrots, grapefruit, etc.

For more on chronic dehydration and how our bodies tell us to drink more water (migraines, back pain, arthritis, ) read this or for a deep dive, this.