Last week I wrapped up a month of free fitness classes.

I had 2 different sections of class

- Intermediate Class

and

- Beginner Class

I have quite a bit of diversity in both sections of class. People that range from early 20's to their 50's and all places in between. All working equally hard along side each other.

Here's a little story for you.

In the Monday Intermediate class, we were doing some squat thrust, a nice little bodyweight drill, and one of my old school female clients (actually she may well be my 1st client ever here in AZ) was smoking the this young gal that is like less than 1/2 her age.

Of course any good coach doesn't let this type of effort go unnoticed on both accounts

1. the old time client kicking butt

2. the young up and comer needing to kick it up a notch

Well, long story short the young up and comer didn't engage the brain before opening the mouth and with out getting vulgar here I will use some latin as the old timer did as she was having a good laugh that night.

She called me a: gluteus coitus

While shocking I didn't really think much of it and again as most coaches wouldn't, I didn't take it personal at all.

Then came my Tuesday workout, during my workout I got thinking I ought to come up with a special workout for the group for their last 'free' workout on Wednesday and to let them know that I hadn't forgotten Monday.

While I am not a big Crossfit guy I have stolen a page out their book because I know have a class workout with a female name.

So from now on out the following will now be refered to as: Cassidy

• Plank - 90 secondsWeighted Wall Sit - 90 seconds ( hold ing 12kg Kettlebell)




• Jumping Jacks 100




• Kettlebell 2-Hand Clean+Squat - 5x5 + Lo-Push hold descending Pyramid 15sec to 11 sec after each KB set




• 2-Hand KB Swing - 100




• ABC-U Circuit - 2 full circuits 20 sec per drill done non-stop - plank-push-up hold-mtn climber-squat thrust-push-up hold-plank




• Full Body Thruster x 15 + Squat Jump x 5 - 2 complete cycles




• Plank - 90 seconds




• Weighted Wall Sit - 90 seconds ( hold ing 12kg Kettlebell)
  

We fit in a couple minutes of water break but this session was completed in right around 30 minutes.

I have to give the young gal credit she sent me a text message a couple days later saying:

'I vote for classes to stay like Wednesday, Yay for soreness'

The moral of the story is this: there are three rules at Anderson Training Systems

1. I don't want to ever hear anyone say that words: 'I Can't'



2. Don't Say One thing and Do Another



3. Don't call me names or you will get workout named after you and blog entry written about you.


Enjoy

Troy M Anderson

Arizona Personal Trainer

More Information about 12 Days of Fitness

I have mentioned the 12 Days of Fitness project that I involved over

the last couple emails so I wanted to take a moment to share with you

a few more details about the: http://www.12daysoffitness.com/

The 12 Days of Fitness Project was started in 2007 by my friend and colleauge Dax Moy.

This year this true project of giving, will feature 250 of the world's top fitness professionals (personal trainers, nutritionist, therapist, and specialized experts from many different areas) coming together to give away health and fitness to over 500,000 people for Christmas.

This expected to be the biggest health and fitness giveaway in history with downloads of over 500,000 health and fitness gifts between 10-22 December.

Get Your 12 days of Fitness Here

The giveaways will included e-books, reports, videos, meal plans and other free gifts.


With the #1 intent of helping make 2009 a super successful year of health and fitness for all regardless of your interest there will be something for you:


busy mom's
elite athletes
bodybuilders
back pain sufferers.

And yes of course the I will be providing a brand new report and videos covering kettlebells and abs.

It's actually a pretty cool little report that I call Real World Abs

This report is going provide 3 specific programming sequences targeted at giving ready
for action abs.

The trainings sequences will be simple and easy to implement anywhere, anytime using just your body and a trusty kettlebell.

Along with Report and programming you will recieve the 3 sequences demonstrated in video.

These videos will be placed on private pages so that only those who download the pages will be able view these training sequence videos.

To make sure that you don't get too caught with all the holiday bussel be sure to get over to http://www.12daysoffitness.com/


Enjoy

Troy M Anderson
Personal Trainer AZ

Have We Failed At $70 per Month Yet?

So, our update... well, let's just say, $70 a month is TIGHT! I'm happy to report we're on track though. I made it to the Superstition Ranch Market on Saturday but have not yet made it to Fry's this week. We're getting low on eggs and Troy wants chicken so we'll see...

Here's the list from the market this week:

1.16 lbs Bananas

1 Hot House cucumber

1 pint Blackberries

1.79 lbs Granny Smith Apples

2.04 lb zuccini

1.22 tomatoes

.58 lb red onion

1 bunch kale

2 green peppers and 3 orange bell peppers

1 bunch green onion

1 16 oz package sliced mushrooms

1 pint cherry tomatoes

Total: $11.77

We still have 2 full bags of spinach from last week at Albies, 1.5 containers of cottage cheese, loads of beef to finish (of course) and some other misc veggies in the fridge.

Now, this week was a good one. Troy got some "goodies" from a good friend and client including a jar of his favorite salsa from Safeway and some fresh peppers. He also opted to buy a few specialty items out of his $20 allowance. Me? Well, I went out to lunch and paid for the Blockbuster movie on Saturday night.

Running total, hmmm, where do we stand? We have spent $27.18 of our $70 so far. Which leaves me with $42.82 in my little grocery change purse. I will likely head to Fry's using coupons and either my $5 off $20 or $6 off $30 Fresh & Easy coupons as well. I'll post later this week with that update.

One of the dishes this week was an egg bake. I used onion left over from last week, bacon from the freezer, 3/4 of a pound of cottage cheese and one dozen eggs plus green pepper and mushrooms to make a tasty egg bake on Sunday. I still have leftovers which I'm eating for breakfasts :)

If you are looking for a way to add some variety and creativity to your 'cleaning eating plan'.

When people get bored with what they are eating is it is an almost sure indicator that there healthy eating plan is about to fail.

If you starting to get bored with your eating plan you might want to check out the Elimination Diet Cookbook

Enjoy

Shelle Anderson, ATS CFO
Arizona Personal Trainer

The Hiearchy of Fat Loss Nutrition

This a Contrary Look at What Fat Loss Nutrition, based off of a discussion I had with a client at this morning's bootcamp.

If I would have had my audio recorder I would have recorded it, unfortunately I had my workout clothes on (no pockets)

Anyway, when most people tackle nutrition for fat loss/weight loss they go straight for calorie restriction that is actually the LAST nutritional aspect that should be adjusted.

The goals is always to EAT as MUCH as possible and still LOSE FAT!

So here is a simple hierarchy of how one should approach fat loss nutrition:

1. Quality of Content: Meaning that you should look to get all the crap comes in a box from coming into your body, i.e. food in boxes or bags OR food that contains content that come from boxes or bags.

A simple rule of thumb would that if it does NOT have a label it is probably good to eat, i.e. vegetables, fruits, eggs, lean meat protein, and some dairy.

2. Composition: You need to look at the ratio and relation of the food coming into the body most people are eating way too much carbohydrate and not nearly enough protein, when the come to meet with me initially.

Most of the carbohydrate can cleared up with the 'quality' adjustment.
For example, most women when they come in, are only eating 20-60 grams of protein, our initial goals is to get that number up to 100grams, and work from their.

By working on that we thus start to work the ratio of the carbohydrate, by simple transferring the the calories we used to consume as carbohydrate to protein, as they are an equal swap both have 4 calories per gram

If fat is for some reason high that that can be adjusted as well.

3. Calories: This is the last are to adjust. Reducing calories too early and by too much is the quickest way to a plateau there is.

Plus remember the #1 goal with fat loss nutrition: The goals is always to EAT as MUCH as possible and still LOSE FAT!

Plus calories literally = energy (no energy is not from a grande' starbuck's latte') at a point if you drop energy too low you workout INTENSITY will diminish signifcantly not a good situation at all.

Taking that in mind calorie restriction come last, and is a systematic adjust once we have run out of options with the exercise time allowance.

Upping exercise(interval or weight training preferrably) is the prefer way of creating caloric defeciet.

Calories are usualy only reduced by 200 per adjustment, at most.

To achieve most people's goals a deliberate calorie restriciton is rarely needed.

The most common class of individual that are/need to be exposed to calorie restriction are those under very tight schedule for acheivement aka actor, model, and fitness competitor types.

Hopefully this will shed some light on the proper process of fat loss nutrition and get those that have been misguided to move away from the failure paradigm of calorie restriction first.

Enjoy

Troy M Anderson
Arziona Personal Trainer

This Is What I Believe?

This little post was inspired by challenge from my friend and mentor Dax Moy.

The challenge is to share with you a little more about my personal and professional philosophy and principles so that you can have a little better understanding of Me and my business are all about.

So with out further waiting this is me:

All of the following statements will be precede by the term, ‘I believe’:

Ø There a lot of unhappy people. This is unfortunate because no matter what we think, do or who we are involved WE can always change it. WE really do get to make a lot of decisions, besides the being born and dying part.

Ø Health is not a sexy goal, and often it is very hard to define, but it is never more cherished than when it is gone no matter how brief the period. Regardless of what you train for health still deserves to be on your goals list, don’t give up on your health

Ø Being outdoors is good for the body and mind, regardless of the temperature or air quality

Ø I often times believe and care more about your fitness than you do, now I just need to help you care and believe too

Ø It’s good to be painted into a corner it brings out the passion, resolve, and action

Ø My best trait is also my worst, persistence. I might not be fast and I might not be the best but it will get done. Just ask my wife or dad.

Ø Getting physically stronger is a faster more powerful way build confidence and self-esteem than any self help book, program, or TV show

Ø ‘Picking up sticks’ in a forest no matter how much it sucks, is good for you and will teach you to do it right the first time

Ø If you really hurt fix it, find someone to fix it, or shut up cause it really doesn’t hurt that bad

Ø Exercise while always valuable, isn’t always chocolate cake and butterflies, sometimes it is sweat, cursing, and crying, and that is a good thing.

Ø Relax, don’t get to wrapped up in shit, honestly unless you die tonight it will be there in the morning, and even if you do it was probably just work anyway.

Ø Being physically competitive on a regularly basis regardless of your gender, is important because it gives you a marker to measure what you are REALLY made of against

Ø Scars and Broken Bones are cool because the make for good stories, and you can never have too many good stories. Plus they let you know you have really lived

Ø We all need more good friends you know the kind you call in an instant even though you hadn’t talked to them in 10yrs; and less hangers-on that are fake and full ‘oshit.

Ø That everyone should be exposed to at least 1hard ass coach, the kind that yells or screams at you but you would do anything for because you knew that if they stopped yelling it meant they stopped caring. I have had 4 of them, well really only 2 since drill sergeants really don’t count.

Ø Say what you mean or don’t say anything. Because there are still people that will take what you are saying at face value; and want to help. Don’t waste their time, they can never get that back.

Ø Flexibility and Mobility are both severely underrated and to get better at both you really don’t need to stretch, get a massage, do mobility drills, or use the foam roller. You just need to relax and breath.

Ø You are never too old to run or jump, sometimes it just takes a little longer to RE-learn how

Ø We all need to eat more vegetables. Mom said so, and if yours didn’t mine did.

Ø The Kettlebell while not the only tool is a very good tool that every fitness professional should have at least 1 of in their arsenal, even if it is ‘just in case’.

Ø It’s not too expensive to eat healthy and exercise, either you lack knowledge, haven’t given it a try or are just LAZY

Ø When people exercise together great things can happen, I haven’t figured this one out completely yet, it has something to do with the comraderier and peer pressure, but let me get back to you.

Ø Transition is everything, if you can transition successfully in all things in life you will be very successful, whether it is from one exercise program to another, from being on a diet to off diet, from maybe sedentary to active it doesn’t matter. On a bigger scale I am getting ready to transition to being a parent, and it’s scary but I have a plan that I will work with.

Ø You need to be a physical role model for you kids,(yeah I am going to find out about this) don’t get wrapped up in putting a roof over their heads, food on the table, and filling the college fund. Be physical show them ‘what mom/dad can do’, be their hero

Ø Fat loss should be practiced for short intense periods, then 'tranisition' and repeat if necessary.

Ø Fat loss nutrition while it take zero sweat and very little physical effort is the the hardest thing for most peopl to get right. It really adds up to the 3 simple things

1. Plan - what you want to eat and purchase it
2. Prep - what you are going to eat and make it quick easy to eat FAST
3. Don't - buy anything that comes in box - If you don't how to cook buy a book.

Ø There is no such thing as ‘non-goal oriented’ just those who are scared of saying what they want, going after it, and failing. At least if you write goals, go after them whole-heartedly and fail you will be better off than sitting on your ass.

Ø Walking doesn’t count as exercise unless you are over 65 or sick

Ø 'I Can't' is the the most negative phrase that I have ever heard and the most over-used . I hate it.

Ø Final One: ‘Once an Anderson Always and Anderson’ ask my wife


Enjoy

Troy M Anderson
Arziona Personal Trainer

Our $70 Grocery Month Challenge

Yes, we're crazy! $70 a month on groceries for 2 adults AND eat healthy? We're going to try. The dates of this craziness? Nov 15 - Dec 14th. And the game is on....

There are rules and some prefaces:

1. We have beef in our freezer from Troy's family ranch in WY that needs to be eaten. I also have a bit of frozen veggies in the fridge I got FREE last week at Albies and a stock pile of tuna fish.
2. We will not eat crap (ok, I'm pregnant so SOME crap?)... no hamburger helper, as little processed food as possible, etc.
3. I use coupons when I shop, even for healthier stuff and I'll show you how.
4. If we get to the end of the month and there is nothing in the house to eat... we will break the budget but attempt to get to the end of the month with as little overage as possible.
5. Both Troy and I get a $20 a week allowance which we are allowed to spend on any splurge. These can be books, magazines, snacks, eating lunch out, etc. This money is NOT counted in the $70 challenge as it is considered allowance in our budget.
6. I am going to attempt to budget it out to around $17.50 a week for groceries.

The challenge started this past Saturday, Nov 15th. Our fridge was basically bare which is unusual for us. I made the usual Saturday morning trip to the market (Superstition Ranch Market in Mesa) for fresh fruits and veggies. Then to Fry's to take advantage of the Buy 10, Get $5 instantly off your bill sale. Sunday I hit Albies for a short trip.









At the Market, I purchased:
1 head cauliflower
2 bunches Kale
2 Yellow Bell peppers
1 head iceberg lettuce
1.3 lb red onion
3 Green Bell peppers
3.37 lb red yams
1.25 lbs Barlett pears
Total: $10.55

Then it was off to Fry's. Now, Fry's is accepting competitors coupons AND Quadrupling coupons up to a value of $1 (so .25 coupons become $1.00, .33 become $1.00, etc). I went armed with my stack of coupons and my Fresh & Easy $5 off $20 coupon as well.

1 Crisco Oil (for baking this holiday season)
2 tubs Cottage Cheese
3 Dial Liquid soap (FREE with coupon)
1.75 lb Granny Smith Apples
2 Boxes Swiss Miss cocoa (yeah, ok, craving.... and FREE with coupon)
1 lb Land O Lakes Stick butter (baking this holiday season)
3 tubes of Colgate toothpaste (FREE with coupon)
2 Dozen Eggs
6 Johnson & Johnson Buddy Bars soap for kids (FREE with coupon)

Total spent at Fry's: $4.86 ($1.07 of that was tax, argh!)

Sunday was a quick Albies run: I got 3 FREE Betty Crocker Frosting (again for baking) and 3 bags FREE bagged Spinach and 1 bag FREE bagged Salad. My receipt total was $0.00. I LOVE THOSE!!!!

And so the week begins. Total spent so far $15.41. Yes, we're going to miss those "favorites". For Troy, it will be Chicken sausage for his eggs, for me it will be Nut Thins for my cottage cheese snacks. We'll keep you posted :)

PS - Clean eating is great but you need to know what to do with you groceries once you have them.

Around the ATS household we use the Elimination Diet Cookbook quite regularly. Click on the link to see what it is all about Elimination Diet Cookbook

Shelle R Anderson
ATS CFO

Arizona Personal Trainer