How to lose the muffin top!

Sorry to break it to ya, but you can't crunch or even plank your way to a six-pac!!  No, you have to eat super, super clean to get there!!  Guess what?  We all have abs under "there", we just have to get rid of the "there" to see them.  Haha!

Now, cardio will help burn fat, yes!  But considering what stores fat may be the best approach to getting rid of it!  

So how do we store fat?

We store fat best when we increase our insulin levels.  Insulin pushes fat into storage mode fast to balance the body.  

Translation:  Lower your sugar spikes and sugary foods and you'll lower your body fat%.  

Challenge:  Go off all desserts, sodas, and breads for 3 days straight and here is what I can promise you:

• You'll feel better!
• You will STOP having cravings for junk!
• You will feel thinner (Oh-because you will be!  You'll start to be a fat burning machine instead of a fat storing machine)
• You'll want to keep it up.  And keeping it up will lead you to the results you seek!!

What you can eat:

• Shaklee Protein drinks (NOTE:  The NEW Shaklee 180 products that are coming out in January will have LOWER sugar content than the Cinch products do now. But as always, Shaklee never uses artificial sweeteners.  Shaklee 180 Smoothees will be sweetened with natural cane sugar and stevia.  Balanced with the right kind of protein that preserves muscle, this is the perfect food for your post-workout meal and will help you burn fat)
• Lean protein:  egg whites, lean chicken, fish and red meat.  (Keep red meat to once/week)
• Healthy fats:  nuts (almonds and walnuts), natural nut butters, olive oil, coconut oil, avocados
• Healthy carbs:  all the green veggies you can get your hands on, and keep fruit to one/day when trying to lower you body fat %.  You can also have a fist-size of either a sweet potato OR brown rice OR oatmeal/day.  Focus on veggies though!
• Green tea & coffee!  Yippee!!  Keep the sugar and fat away from your coffee. 

A word about artificial sweeteners:  When eliminating sugar it's tempting to add in artificial sweeteners.  Don't!  Your body doesn't need chemicals to replace sugar.  Instead try dialing down your sweet tooth.  Like I said above, after 3 days cold turkey, you'll be fine!

Having said that, a safe sweetener is stevia.  So you can use this in moderation.  Keep some packets in your purse for when you order unsweet tea at restaurants, or just order water!

Here's to lowering belly fat and exposing the 6-pac below!
Yours in health,

Sara Oliver
Master Trainer, Owner
Adventure Boot Camp Trainer

Bay Area TX Adventure Boot Camp
www.GetToBootCamp.com
www.AdventureBootCamp.MyShaklee.com
www.GoodHabits.MyShaklee180.com 
713.515.5081 

My next 7 day eating plan

Turn "I WISH" into "I WILL"

 
Are you thinking, "Easier said than done..."?  

Well, I say, "Not really!"
 
Sometimes we find ourselves in a rut of bad habits.  Poor eating habits can keep us from reaching our goals.  And poor eating habits are sometimes hard to turn around because we don't feel good (from eating poorly), so thinking clearly to make a turnaround is hard.
 
So take ACTION!
 
Get a piece of paper and and write out how you know you should eat for the next 7 days.  Now make a grocery list to pick up on your way home from work today. 
 
You CAN eat clean.  You CAN reach your health and fitness goals!!  And once you're back on track with clean eating, you will also WANT to get to your next boot camp workout!!

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Here's my next 7 day plan:
 
Breakfast:  I always begin with a Shaklee protein drink and Shaklee Vitalizer strips (all my vitamin needs)
 
Snack:  Oatmeal w/ walnuts
 
Lunch:  Big salad w/ avocado and either another protein drink or chicken.  I'll also have more raw veggies with hummus!
 
Snack:  Cinch snack bar: 120 calories and 10 grams of protein!  (You can do this too or have a handful of almonds w/ a small piece of fruit)
 
Dinner:  Lean meat (the size of my palm), 1/2 plate full of veggies and maybe a potato or quinoa serving (the size of my fist)
 
Snack:  small bowl of popcorn (100 calories)

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That's my template above!  That's my healthy habits that I follow daily!  My next 7 days of dinners:
 
Tonight:  Chicken with some deer sausage cooked on George Foreman.  I cook it topped with onions and bell peppers.  We'll have some zucchini and squash that I bake in over for about 45 minutes.  I chop them up, drizzle with olive oil and bake!  Family favorite!  I'll also make some Quinoa tonight.  You cook the Quinoa in 15 minutes.  Mix in a can of black beans, can of corn, chopped cilantro, olive oil and lime juice and cummin.  I eat on this all week.  A serving is the size of my fist.
 
Wed:  Bean Burritos.  I open a can of fat free refried beans and a can of chicken.  Mix them together and fill tortillas with them and lay them in a pan.  Then pour a can of enchilada sauce over the top and bake on 350 for 30 minutes.  Serve with a side of veggies.  We will have steamed broccoli and carrots. 
 
Thurs:  Chili in a crock pot.  Easy!!  Serve with brown rice and veggies!!
 
Friday:  Take left over chili and make enchiladas. Just roll chili in tortillas and bake for 30 minutes.  Serve with veggies!!
 
Saturday:  Grilled Pork Chops on grill w/ sweet potato and steamed veggies.
 
Sunday:  Fish.  We like to bake Tilapia in over for 15 minutes.  So easy!  Add a big salad or steamed veggies and dinner is done!
 
As you can see I keep it simple here.  I'm not a gourmet chef.  I just keep to protein, veggies and healthy carbs for dinner.

 

Have a plan.  Without a plan you plan to fail!

 
Dedicated to your success!

Sara Oliver
Master Trainer, Owner
Adventure Boot Camp Trainer

Bay Area TX Adventure Boot Camp
www.GetToBootCamp.com
www.AdventureBootCamp.MyShaklee.com
713.515.5081

I AM Adventure Boot Camp

This week I have heard so many great success stories from boot campers! It reminded me of why I love what I do so much. I am going to start doing some short interviews with some of our campers (and hopefully you too) so they can share their amazing stories in a new series called “I AM Adventure Boot Camp”.

Have you ever heard the metaphor about the Dead Sea?

It goes like this.  One day a preacher asked, “What is the one body of water in the world where nothing lives?” Many would know and say “the Dead Sea”. Then he would ask “why is there nothing living in the Dead Sea?” Many would say “the salt content is too high.”

He would say “right”. But then he would ask “why is the salt content too high?” Then they would be stumped.

He would go on to explain to them that the reason the salt content is so high is because the Dead Sea is at the lowest altitude and water only flows into it. No water flows out of it. It is only a taker. Therefore, no life lives in it.

As we gain our freedom it is very important that we help others gain theirs too. It effects your self-esteem. Your subconscious will know that not only do you have intrinsic value but you are helping people and adding value to the lives of others and therefore you are of a great value to the world.

I am not insinuating that you or any of the campers that are in camp are takers, but rather that sometimes we do not understand the value that your story will have to some other ladies that are still stuck.

One last thing, by sharing your story you become a leader. Once you proclaim something it will have a positive effect on you sticking to the actions you know you should be making. So, by helping others you are really helping yourself in a big way too.

I hope you will share your story!

I want to send out a BIG thank you to Sally Hargrave for sharing her story below.

Please join me in congratulating Sally on her wonderful committment to her health— and feel free to give Sally  a “virtual High-5″ by commenting below, or in person at our 5:15 AM Dow Park camp. 

This is just the beginning, Sally!  You are a committed, kind, confident and strong woman.  Your health journey is sure to inspire many and I thank you for sharing your story.

I AM Adventure Boot Camp.

Name: Sally Hargrave

Age: 51

What do you do when you're not at boot camp? I keep my 2 yr old granddaughter 5 days a week, run a personal shopping service for my family, and I'm chief cook and bottle washer.  I love to play tennis any chance I get and am enrolled in a cardio tennis class that meets two nights a week.


Family? Married  for 33 yrs with four grown sons,  a  daughter-in-law, a granddaughter,  and a grandson on the way.


ABC birthday (when you started)? October 22, 2007


Is this your first camp?  If not, how many camps have you done? This is not my first camp.  I have not missed a camp since I started 5 yrs ago!


Why did you join ABC? I was already playing a lot of tennis and jogging but I never got the results I was looking for.  I hated being in a gym and thought I could at least give it a try for a month.

What are your fitness goals? I'm always trying to keep my heart healthy and avoid diabetes that runs in my family.  My fitness goal is to continue to keep my body and mind as strong and fit as I can as I age.


What do you love most about ABC? There's a lot of things that I love about it.  I guess it's the feeling that it gives me.  Strength!  Inner strength AND physical strength.   I love that it energizes me when I start my day with it.  I love the variety that we get throughout each  session.  I also love that I have met some really nice people over the years who've pushed and inspired me to keep moving through whatever.


Did you have any fears or concerns before you started ABC?  Do you have those same fears now or how has the program affected those fears? I really had the fear that I wouldn't be able to handle it. That I would be too old or too slow or too out of shape.   I almost talked myself out of signing up.  Just the words "Boot Camp" sounded a little scary to me, but I jumped in with both feet and signed up for 5 days a week for the first session and never missed a day.  I was totally hooked after the first couple of days even though I was sore because I started seeing results immediately!    I haven't had those fears since the first day I went.  There was nothing scary about it and no one expected me to do anything that I wasn't physically capable of doing.



What has surprised you most about your experience with ABC?  That great feeling it has given me.  How bad I feel when we don't have it because we're off for a week, and how much I can't wait to get back to it.   Also,  how quickly I lost inches and over the years,  pounds that I never thought I would lose. How it's completely reshaped my body and how much younger I feel because of it.


What results or accomplishments are you most proud of? Arm muscles and Jogging a whole mile without stopping!  That's a big deal for me.  Also the fact that I've stuck with this for 5 years without stopping.   Also a big deal for me.


What's your favorite healthy snack?  Seasonal fruit or avocado


What's your favorite cheat meal? Mexican Food with chips, queso, guacamole and the works!


What tips would you give others about making it to boot camp every day?   Set your alarm and put your feet on the floor when it goes off. Once you're up it's easy:)


What about ABC makes you laugh?  People.  There's something funny that someone shares on most days, people cracking little jokes, laughing about the music that's being played. It's a lighthearted bunch of people that want to have fun while they workout.


Favorite ABC exercise and why?  I love lower body days.  Lunges, spiderman lunges and any kind of abs on our mats.  Also the days we workout on the big balls.  Those are great workouts.


Least favorite ABC exercise and why?  Running the hills and the mile.  It's a mental thing with the mile,  and the hills give me what I call "booty lock" or really tight glutes and ham strings for the day.


Your advice to prospective boot campers?    
Don't be scared to try.  There's at least one other person already out there that's just like you,  or started where you're starting.  There's a great group of women that will encourage and applaud you along the way.   Show up and give 100%  if you want results.


Sara Oliver
Master Trainer, Owner
Adventure Boot Camp Trainer

Bay Area TX Adventure Boot Camp
www.GetToBootCamp.com
www.AdventureBootCamp.MyShaklee.com
713.515.5081

Nutrition 101 & Supplementation Explained

I host a Nutrition Conference Call once a month.  If you missed this month's call, you can call in at your convenience to listen to it as of now!  When asked for the Reference Code you can just enter the Access code again.
Playback Number: (213) 417-9299  
Access Code: 586204#

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Supplementation: Is it necessary?  Yes it is!  You'd have to eat over 4000 calories/day to get all the nutrition you need.  We recommend the Shaklee brand when it comes to supplements because they've been around for 50 years, they have very strict screening process and they Always Work, are Always Safe, and Always Green.  They are whole food supplements and not synthetic.

What supplements should you take?  Everyone needs a multi-vitamin, omega 3s and probiotics daily!  Women also need calcium.  

I recommend Shaklee's Vitalea (multi).  It's only $23 for a 2 month supply!! 

If you're ready for more, then I'd recommend their Vitalizer strips.  These contain the multi-vitamin, omegas 3s, vit B & C and probiotics, conveniently packaged in a strip!  Try it for 30 days and I promise you will feel so much better!!  

Shaklee has a 100% satisfaction guaranteed or your money back.  

Go to www.AdventureBootCamp.MyShaklee.com to order today & shop their entire line! 
Call me if you have any health issues you'd like to discuss.  Shaklee may have a solution for you!  I've helped my sister get off all her medication for fibro pain, and through Shaklee, I've also been able to see people lose weight (myself included!), gain energy, have less joint pain, get better sleep, increase their immune system and have overall a higher quality of life!

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So, yes, Shaklee has helped me lose about 20 pounds this year.  I found myself struggling with the scale this year and finding myself very frustrated when I'd lose 5 and gain 5, months in a row!
Well I'm happy to report I've finished losing 20 pounds and it feels so good!!  

I finally turned to a structured plan to help me!  I'm like you:  a mom, wife, busy busy busy and as much as I'd plan my meals and have mostly healthy habits, I was also indulging on date nights and enjoying too many calories....obviously!!

I've been doing Shaklee's Cinch Transformation plan now for 5 weeks and I lost my last 10 pounds in just 4 weeks!  

The Cinch Transformation WORKS because it's a structured PLAN!  I wouldn't even say that Cinch is a diet.  I don't believe diet's work, Good Habits Work!
And Cinch gives you that structure with the easy-to-prepare meal shakes, snack bars, meal bars and journal to teach you how to eat real food along with the plan.  

The Cinch plan gives you:

• balanced nutrition
• the correct amount of calories needed each day (it's not too low)
• the right amount (and the right kind) or protein to help preserve your muscle as you lose fat!

We've also started an "It's a Cinch" group on Facebook.  Everyone is losing about 2-4 pounds/week!  Join us!  We are here to encourage each other each and every day!

If you want to get your Cinch Transformation pac today, go to www.AdventureBootCamp.MyShaklee.com  or call me at 713-515-5081 and I'll answer any questions or reservations you may have.  And if you put it on Autoship for 3 months your 4th month is FREE!  (You can cancel Autoship at anytime)

If you're already a Shaklee member log into www.MyShaklee.com

Dedicated to your success,
Sara Oliver
713-515-5081
saraoliver@gettobootcamp.com 

I hate to say this, but.....

I have a hard topic to discuss today and I'm not even sure how to bring it up, but someone has to TALK about this!!  Ok, so I'm just going to say it.....you need to be going to the bathroom (#2) every day and I've actually been reading that you're suppose to go up to 3X/day!!!

So, if you're thinking right now, "Gross!  I can't believe she is actually typing this!", give me a second.

Did you know that just the frequency of going #2 actually speaks volumnes to you about your health?!  Your intestinal track is the size of a tennis court!!  If it isn't functioning properly, you will not lose weight as quickly and nutrients will not be delivered to your body properly either.  So who better to tell you about this subject than your trainer?!

Ok, so let's continue.

Not only should you be going every day, 1-3X/day, but what it looks like also matters!  If it looks like little marbles, you have a problem!  It should be the shape of a.... (again forgive me for the topic today)...a banana!   

So now that you know, what can you do about it?

While fiber has often been the big savior when it comes to constipation, we are now also learning that you must have a healthy gut.  You need good bacteria in your gut in order to be able to process foods properly and have regular BMs.  However, many of us do not eat properly and have destroyed the good bacteria in our guts.  

Did you know that Splenda (sucralose) decreases the good bacteria in your gut?  Google "Duke University Study and Splenda" and read all about it.  Now maybe you will finally put down the Splenda packets!!  

Therefore, we would all benefit from taking a probiotic daily.  This is where I recommend you begin in clearing up the health of your gut, and therefore your bathroom, daily experience.  It can take several months to gain the proper good bacteria in the gut!!

Shaklee's probiotic is awesome!! It's the tiniest little pearl probiotic, so it's very easy to swallow.  A 30 day supply is only $19.95.

You can't rely on just eating yogurt to supply you with the good bacteria you need because some of those are destroyed before reaching your gut.  Shaklee's probiotic is triple coated and is guaranteed to reach the gut!!   Plus, many yogurts are too high in sugar and some are even sweetened with Splenda!
Click here to be taken straight to the probiotic and order it toady!  If you're already a Shaklee member log into www.MyShaklee.com and order today!  

Also, save-the-date for Saturday August 18th at 10 am.  I am having a Super Saturday Shaklee event in my home.  Come and learn about new products that will be announced this week and also about how you can have better health in 30 days or less!  If you want to come, please email me at saraoliver@gettobootcamp.com for directions!

Yours in gut-health,
Sara Oliver
Master Trainer, Owner
Adventure Boot Camp Trainer

Bay Area TX Adventure Boot Camp
www.GetToBootCamp.com
www.AdventureBootCamp.MyShaklee.com
713.515.5081

Is becoming fit an event or a lifestyle?

Well I hope you said a lifestyle!

So how do you make that transition from being a coach potato, overweight, unhealthy, un-knowledgeable on how to eat for nutrition, to moving, exercising, becoming knowledgeable, enjoying healthy foods and waking up your Inner Athlete to where that Athlete begins to show through?
The answers:

• Baby steps every day!  Since you are desiring a new lifestyle, you won't get the results you seek over night and not even in 4 weeks, but rather over time of consistently living the healthy lifestyle! 
• With some serious determination!
• With courage and deep conviction!  You have become sick & tired of being sick & tired!!
• The healthy lifestyle is not lived accidently, but rather on purpose....daily!
• By making up your mind on who you want to be, and doing whatever it takes!  
• And quitting those other habits that lead you away from what you want!

The Habits of Healthy & Fit People:

• They eat breakfast!
• They eat healthy proteins, healthy fats, and complex carbs like veggies and fruits!
• They drink lots of water everyday!!  1/2 their body weight in ounces of water daily!
• They eat 4-6x/day
• They eat about every 3-4 hours
• They plan their food and buy groceries!!  They make sure they're prepared!!
• They stray from giving into every temptation like cakes, donuts and office parties. 
• But They enjoy the occasional celebration, just not daily excuses and rationalizations of eating whatever's around.
• They fit exercise into their lives 4-6 days/week.  They MOVE!
• They get 7-9 hours of sleep because they know the body heals itself during rest.
• They take a day of rest and find time to be quiet
• They take vitamins
• They surround themselves with others who value these healthy habits

What habits can you begin to incorporate today?  Begin taking the baby steps to a healthier lifestyle!!  Stick with it and you'll gain the results you seek!!

Yours in the journey to being fit!

Sara Oliver
www.GetToBootCamp.com
www.AdventureBootCamp.MyShaklee.com
713-515-5081
saraoliver@gettobootcamp.com

Need a doctor or a nutritionist? Now that is the question!

“If the doctors of today do not become the nutritionists of tomorrow, then the nutritionists of today will become the doctors of tomorrow.” ~ Rockefeller Institute of Medicine research

Love this quote!  We MUST pay attention to what we eat!   And I know of all the people, I'm talking to the choir.  You already know the importance of nutrition, but it doesn't hurt to brush up on the facts and encourage each other that all we do for our health is worth it!!  

So many of the problems people go to the doctor for can be cured with nutrition.  I was talking to a doctor recently who told me the #1 reason adults come to see her is due to lack of energy!  What's needed is more attention to nutrition, exercise, hydration, supplementation and sleep.  These are what I call the 5 pillars to health.

Eating real food isn't hard, but we just have to have a plan.  Without a plan we will do what everyone else does and drive through a fast food place and visit the vending machine at work.  Now that is NOT real food!

And if we become like "everyone else" then that puts us in the category of an obese nation that is on the road of not out living their own parents.  That's right.  For the first time in history, our children have a higher chance of dying before us!  How sad is that?!

This sobers me at the responsibility that I have to feed my kiddos good food!  My mom did a fantastic job of feeding us!  This had somewhat to do with the fact that we just ate at home-period!  We didn't have the luxury of eating out (thank God!), and my mom was a great cook!  She also studied nutrition and fed us well.  

The result?  My parents are some of the healthiest people, in their late 60's-early 70's, that I know!  Neither of them is on any medication!!   WOW!  That is a huge testament to healthy eating! 

Today's world has changed.  We are busy and junk food is so easy and cheap to grab.  We have to slow down and remember that our health demands the extra effort of home cooked meals and we are worth the time it takes to prepare a meal!  Make an effort to bring family dinners back to your home!  Not only will the long term health of your family benefit, but studies also show that kids who eat dinner with the family even just 3x/week are less likely to get involved in drugs!  So it helps the emotional well being of our families too to eat around a table together!

Today's world has also changed in that the quality of even real food has declined due to the nutrients in our soil having declined.  Supplementation is vital to your health!  You need a multi vitamin, omega 3s, vitamin D3, calcium and probiotics, just to name a few!  Shaklee's are the best.  Their Vitalizer strips are a great place to start, but even just beginning with their Vitalea (multi-vitamin) would be fantastic.  Order here!

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Need a jump start towards eating real food again?  Join us this Saturday for an informational meeting about joining us for a 10 Day Detox Eating plan that we will all begin on July 5th.  The meeting though is this Saturday, June 23rd at 10:00 am at the Holiday Inn Express in Deer Park.  

Dedicated to your success!

Sara Oliver
Master Trainer, Owner
Adventure Boot Camp Trainer

Bay Area TX Adventure Boot Camp
www.GetToBootCamp.com
www.AdventureBootCamp.MyShaklee.com
713.515.5081 

Raising Kids in a world of Chocolate & Pizza

So I wanted to share with you a new snack that is becoming my favorite!  Buy yellow, red and orange bell peppers and slice them into think wedges.  Great for dipping into Hummus!!  Love this new snack.  So refreshing, crunchy and sweet!

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As far as kids and eating, it's hard to get them to eat right sometimes!  Here are some great things that work for my kids who are 8, 6, and 2:

• apples and peanut butter (Buy the Smucker's brand, Natural peanut butter.  It has oil on top and you have to stir it and then refrigerate it.  It's really yummy!)
• celery and peanut butter
• cheese sticks with fruit
• Shaklee Snack Bars-peanut butter is their favorite
• carrots with hummus (Found out they'll eat it one time when we bought a big tray of veggies with dip-which is something I'll do sometimes to just get in my own veggies!)
• Dannon's drinkable yogurts-these don't contain high fructose corn syrup!
• I'll buy the yogurts in the tubes sometimes and freeze them.  They're fun to eat cold-like ice cream!
• applesauce
• when I buy chips I buy the Natural Cheetos-they don't contain the artificial colors
• I buy Gold fish!
• I'll buy ice cream sandwiches for fun desserts.  They keep the serving size down and they still get ice cream!

For quick and easy meal ideas:

• My kids love burritos.  I'll open a can of fat-free refried beans and put on tortilla with cheese, and some sour cream! 
• I make my own chicken nuggets.  I just cut up chicken and toss in mustard and then shake in a bag of bread crumbs.  Then bake for 25 min at 350.  They love these better than store bought nuggets!!
• I serve veggies at every meal. Our rule is eat 3 bites even if you don't like it.  It's finally working!!  :) 
• I'll also add flavorless Shaklee Protein to sauces and smoothies or shakes.

My thinking is if I can get them to eat a good breakfast, keep snacking healthy, and plan a good evening meal for the family with lean meats and lots of veggie choices, they'll be ok when they get to splurge other times in the day.  I'm trying to live a balanced life as a mom.  I want to do a good job teaching health without being too strict that could lead to rebellion and poor choices when they're away from the home.

I take them grocery shopping with me and when they ask for junk I'll point out why it's not the best choice.  I've taught them they don't want to eat high fructose corn syrup or food coloring.  But I try and find an alternative to that product that they can eat.
Dedicated to your success,

Sara Oliver
Master Trainer, Owner
Adventure Boot Camp Trainer

Bay Area TX Adventure Boot Camp
www.GetToBootCamp.com
www.AdventureBootCamp.MyShaklee.com
713.515.5081