Spartan Race

As most of you know Team MBG had a great time at the Spartan Race last weekend. What made it so great? We did a race that absolutely challenged each and every one of us both mentally and physically. It is in many ways a test to evaluate how you live your life. Is your training and nutrition adequate enough to enable you to survive? Is it advanced enough to let you strive? Will you give in and take the easy way out or push yourself outside of your comfort zone (Cliff Jump)? All of these questions can be answered in the time it takes you to complete this race. Sixteen MBG'ers started the race and 16 finished. I was very proud of all of them. Proud because each and every one overcame something to complete this race. A past injury, fear, not bowing out and remaining committed to their training. To me it shows how effective our training actually is. I already know how tough you all are because I see it in every workout you do. This race allowed you to apply it to a real world scenario and see it for yourselves! Let's not let this be the highlight but only the beginning on which we build. Never stop challenging yourself. We had a great summer together and I look forward to seeing what this next year will bring.

Farms 2 Forks Immersion

Karen and I had a great experience last weekend. We traveled to the farm of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn in upstate New York and attended a weekend long Immersion into whole food, plant based nutrition. It was made up of two twelve hour days that contained lectures from some of the most prominent leaders in the field of whole food, plant based nutrition. We also were provided with nutritious, healthy, plant strong meals and snacks throughout the day. The event was sold out with about 450 people in attendance. There were people of all ages and all walks of life. Some overweight, some fit, some in the middle but all shared the common goal of learning how to create a healthier self through the foods we eat. There was a positive energy in the air the entire weekend. I would like to share a key point concerning calorie density which I feel to be extremely important. Calorie density refers to the amount of calories in a given weight of food. Certain foods contain more calories per pound than others and this is a good indicator to the possibility of over-consumption. A pound of grapes contains approximately between 300-320 calories. Take the water out and they become raisins. A pound of raisins contains 1,356 calories. If you were hungry you could probably sit there and eat a pound of each. It's not difficult to see the difference. Because the grapes had the water removed they can be considered processed. Ninety percent of the carbohydrates consumed in America are from refined, processed sources. I used the same food source as a example to show what a simple process of removing water can do to a natural whole food. Here is the thing, we generally consume the same amount of food in weight per day. Can you see the importance of avoiding calorie dense foods and how consuming them can lead to weight gain? Foods that are whole food, plant based are nutrient dense with little exceptions. Therefore you can consume large amounts and not worry about high caloric intakes. They will fill you up and more importantly provide you with the nutrients that are required for optimal health. Nuts and seeds are a whole food but they are also calorie dense so be careful when you choose to snack on them. They are also high in fat which most Americans already get to much of in their diets. If you have the opportunity to attend one of these next summer I would highly recommend it! Jimmy

At the conclusion of the last cycle I had a nagging calf injury that I tweaked during a "Sgt. Ryan" workout. I rushed to do the workout and did not warm up properly and strained my calf as a result during the workout. It bothered me for the rest of the cycle whenever I did jump rope doubles and was starting to bother me during our Sunday night runs. I decided to try something new during our recovery week. I visited Kerri Kuhlsen and had my first acupuncture treatment. Kerri, a fellow MBG'er, was able to pinpoint the area immediately and gave me a treatment. As my kids chuckled, Kerri proceeded to place the needles in various parts of my calf. My daughter thought it would be cool to take a picture so I included it in the post. It was a weird sensation as the needles were placed. I could literally feel the muscle moving around. It was a good feeling and it was exactly the area that was giving me a problem. Kerri explained that I would be sore and to rest it a day followed by stretching and rolling it out. I experienced some pretty intense soreness for about two days. I made sure I was properly hydrated, stretched and used a roller to treat it on my own the next couple of days. Three days after the treatment I decided to engage in a light run. The calf was sore but was not altering my stride like it was prior. The fourth day I continued the stretching and rolling it out. The fifth day I ran again and the soreness was drastically reduced. I decided to increase my distance and my pace on the sixth day after the treatment. I am happy to say I felt great. I could barely notice that anything was ever wrong. I could have ignored it all together and for sure it would have lead me to a greater problem. It is important for all of us to listen to the feedback our body provides us everyday. It will let us know when something is wrong but it is up to us to address it. The point I am making is to take advantage of our recovery week to heal your body. This will aid you in maintaining a high level of performance. Remember, nagging injuries become serious injuries if we allow them.

It's been a while since I posted and I am going to try and stay consistent going forward. There's been a lot going on and I neglected the blog a little. As you all know we just finished our Spring/Summer training cycle. I feel it was the best yet. We had the appropriate variety, teamwork and challenges to enable our fitness to increase over these eight weeks. We concluded this cycle with a 3 1/2 hour Monkey Bar Gymnasium Warrior Boot Camp Challenge. This was the first time we did this and it was a blast. We busted our behinds for over three hours and loved every minute of it. It will definitely be something that we do throughout the year. This cycle also saw another successful whole food, plant based recipe swap. As always the food was delicious! As we enter our recovery week tomorrow it is important that you allow your body to heal. The focus of this weeks workouts will be to restore the body by resting and working on mobility. Try to get your rest this week. Drink plenty of water and eat strong foods. If you are a person who likes to run than maybe this week just walk and focus on your breathing. Let your body rest! Maybe take the time to go and see our very own Kerri Kuhlsen for a acupuncture session or Michele Fitzgibbons for some massage therapy. Whatever you choose to do allow your body to heal so that we can crank it up once again next Monday for the start of our new cycle! Jimmy

We had a great group run today at High Rock. It's good to see the enthusiasm and new faces that joined us today. We start week four of our current cycle tomorrow and there will be some Monkey Wrenches added this week so look out. I want to remind you that it is not necessary to bring yourself to failure every time you train. If a exercise is new to you it is better to do it correctly and perform it without straining. Experience how your body responds to the exercise and adjust it accordingly next week. If you do this for each workout you will have a good gauge of where you are and how you should attack the cycle. This is extremely important for new clients. We cannot make up for a period of inactivity in one workout. Getting in "shape" is a process that occurs over time. This process incorporates many things that include exercise, healthy nutrition, rest and proper alignment. It will not be accomplished in one workout. So be patient. It is also extremely important that we all make an effort to learn the movements that we are performing. To aid in this I will begin to make short videos of the exercises we perform during our workouts. When I get enough done, I will add a page to the website so you can reference them. In addition I have started a skills class on Friday night at 7:30 and Saturday morning at 11:00. Take advantage of this and come in and work on movements that may be giving you trouble. Some of you already have and it has been successful. Kathy E. brought up a good point while discussing her teaching strategy. She said it's her responsibility to teach and her students to learn. So take advantage of the videos and skills class to learn the movements. Enjoy the Super Bowl and Go Giants! Jimmy

Eight Week Cycle Starts Tomorrow!

Our next Cycle begins tomorrow and with it comes new challenges to the members of MBG. This cycle includes some very challenging workouts that will push you both as individuals and as a group. This cycle will include something new called "Monkey Wrenches". Monkey Wrenches will add a random element to our workouts that will be put in on occasion to add variety to our workouts. Monkey Wrenches will be submitted by MBG's all over, you never know when they will show up but I am sure they will be challenging and fun. I am looking forward to watching us become stronger and healthier in the upcoming weeks. Remember to pay attention to your body and listen to what it is telling you. If your energy is down or your just not feeling right than back off your intensity until you are feeling stronger. The eight week cycle is the best way to make continual improvements but that doesn't mean you have to improve every week. Your going to have a week were improvements in performance may be minimal. This doesn't mean that you didn't make progress in your technique or confidence. Lets set the standard high for ourselves this week and get this cycle started with a blast. We have spent the last week focusing on recovering and should all be ready to go!

Expectations for 2012

I hope you all are able to enjoy this beautiful day that we are having to start the new year. Every year we get a chance to wipe the slate clean and begin anew on January 1st. Usually every year most people will generally come up with the same goals or resolutions. They want to be healthier, eat better, be happier, or possibly build their savings. These ideas sound great but at closer look they can be vague in their meaning. The mistake most people will make is to not put a workable plan that will make them healthier and happier. It is my hope that the members of MBG can come up with workable plans to achieve their goals as it relates to health and fitness. My question to you all is how do you intend to achieve your goals in the upcoming year?

At least one of our goals should be to achieve and sustain optimal health. Optimal health is more than just physical strength, it is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being (Pulde, Lederman, 2009). In doing this we can strive and excel rather than simply exist. If we are unable to take care of ourselves than how are we to take care of those around us? I can help you improve your physical strength and endurance. I can also try to educate you on the benefits of consuming strong, whole foods. However, I cannot control the decisions you make in your daily food consumption. You must gain a mastery of how you choose to nourish your body. This is an endeavor that you should engage in for the rest of your life. Our bodies are incredible creations that will always strive to repair itself and maintain homeostasis. It is our responsibility to provide our bodies with the proper "tools" to achieve this.

Many, if not all of you have made tremendous progress over the past year. You have become stronger and more confidant. Some of you have already taken the next step and have begun to make lifestyle changes in your diet. It is my goal that all of you begin to understand the importance of doing this. I do not expect you all to adapt a vegetarian or vegan diet, but I would like you to start to consume more whole foods. Foods that are nutrient dense and not simply calorie dense. In addition I would also like you to understand why you are making these choices. One simple goal for you all would be simply to consume 1 whole-food, plant based meal each day that is free from animal products. It is actually simpler than you might think.

It is impossible to predict how our futures will unfold, but let's get control of those things we can control. I know that some of you, especially the ladies, have made comments on how your arms feel bigger and tighter. That is to be expected training the way we do. It shows that what you are doing is working. Do not worry you will not turn into professional body builders. I would say to change your train of thought. Let's negotiate our future's from a position of strength, not weakness. Wouldn't it be better to face any obstacles this year with a strong, resilient body? Our next workshop will be on meal planning and how we can make sustained dietary changes in our diets. We will try and do this at the end of the month.

I hope this New Year brings you all health and happiness!
Jimmy