Lean Eating Contest (final update)

Good afternoon-

The release of the first edition of my PC Conditioning newsletter for 2010 is just around the corner. Until then, I wanted to follow up one last time about the Lean Eating contest my nutrition affiliate, Precision Nutrition, is hosting. I've previously shared with you two blog posts in which Dr John Berardi talks about losing body weight (and body fat). The first one talks about how important incentives are for changing your body. And it goes on to incentivize you with a whopping $40,000 in prize money.

Could The Chance To Win $10,000 Help You Get In Shape?
http://precisionnutrition.com/cmd.php?pageid=987117&u=win-40k

The second one shows you how to coerce yourself into sticking to the plan, even when the motivation wanes.

Enter "the best kept secret in weight loss."
http://precisionnutrition.com/cmd.php?pageid=987117&u=blackmail-yourself-lean

Finally, today, I have one last post to share.

In this one, Dr Berardi talks about how you can actually vaccinate yourself against body fat. Hint: it doesn't involve needles!

Learn how to vaccinate yourself against body fat
http://precisionnutrition.com/cmd.php?pageid=987117&u=the-body-fat-vaccine


Happy New Year!

-PC

One Last Binge

I've talked with a few people this week about their approach toward a successful 2010 and a couple people said things that essentially told me there's a good chance they won't succeed with their weight loss goals. They both said, in effect, "I'm gonna have one last binge with fast food to get it out of my system." With a puzzled look, I said "History is not on your side." I just have never seen people succeed with that approach. Why wait until next week? Why not just start making small changes this week to progress into the New Year?

Merry Christmas

I just wanted to take a moment to say Merry Christmas to those celebrating today. May you have a peaceful and healthy holiday. I was thrilled to read how well the Globe Santa charity has done this year (donations exceeded $1 million). It is one of four charities I work with every year. Check out the story here: http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/12/globe_santa_fun.html

Healthy Eating

I found this fantastic quote from my colleague Alwyn Cosgrove that was perfect to read this time of year: "And remember -- it doesn't matter what you eat or how you exercise between Christmas and New Years..... But it matters how you eat and exercise between New Year's and Christmas!"

Lean Eating Contest (part 2 of 3)

The other day I sent out an email link to a video of Dr John Berardi talking about his two latest programs - Lean Eating For Men and Lean Eating For Women.

Far and away, the most frequent questions had to do with his $40,000 is prize money. $10,000 to the top female winner and $10,000 to the top male winner. Plus, 5k to each of a few runners up.

Click here to check out the blog post announcing this amazing prize:

http://precisionnutrition.com/cmd.php?pageid=987117&u=win-40k

Now, today, I want to share with you a post covering the flip side of the 10K prize. In other words, if the prize is the carrot, today's video talks about the stick.

You see, Dr. Berardi's a coaching expert. In fact, he's probably the most successful nutrition coach in the health and fitness business.

And after speaking with him, I realized that there's something powerful to this idea.

You see, the biggest transformations - body transformations or otherwise - are accomplished when people have big incentives.

And I'd say 10 thousand bucks qualifies as a big incentive all right. But big inspiring goals also need some potential punishment.
Or, some risk.

And in today's video, Dr Berardi shows you how to coerce yourself into sticking to the plan, even when the motivation wanes.

Enter "the best kept secret in weight loss."
http://precisionnutrition.com/cmd.php?pageid=987117&u=blackmail-yourself-lean

So, if you're REALLY interested in changing your body and you'd like a little extra incentive for doing so, this is definitely a program you should consider checking out.


To your health,
-PC

Paul J. Connolly, B.S., NSCA-CPT
Founder: PC Conditioning Personal Training Services
Web: http://www.pcconditioning.com
Blog: http://pcconditioning.blogspot.com *updated*
Newsletter Archive: http://pcconditioning.com/newsletters.php

Beantown Jumpers

I was at Boston University's Case Gym to watch the Marist/BU women's basketball game last weekend. The halftime entertainment was a group of boys and girls, more of the latter, who performed double dutch for the crowd. The name of their group was The Beantown Jumpers. They label themselves on their web site as "...a competitive Double Dutch team from Boston, Quincy and Pembroke. Our team members include girls & boys who are in Grade 2 to Grade 5."

It was just nice to see kids getting some non-competitive quality exercise. The leaders of the group clearly encouraged teamwork and simply having fun. I'm so used to seeing young kids grow up in over-competitive sports and this was a nice change. If you have a child grade 2 to 5, check out their web site: http://www.beantownjumpers.com/index.html.

Performance Mouthpieces

Regardless of level, exercise enthusiasts seem to be on an endless search for the latest gadget that will improve their performance. The fitness term for this is "ergogenic aid." In essence, what mode can they insert in their training that will not only improve performance/expedite recovery, but what may even "de-stress" their workout. Enter the performance mouth guard. Under Armour has a patent on one, as do other companies. A client of mine started wearing one a few months ago (not the Under Armour model) and has noticed a significant change in his cycling performance.

The New York Times ran a good article this past week on these mouth guards. Check it out here and let me know your thoughts: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/17/health/nutrition/17fitness.html?_r=1&ref=nutrition

$40,000 Nutrition Contest Announced Today!

You probably are aware by now of The Precision Nutrition program that I have recommended before (http://precisionnutrition.com/cmd.php?pageid=987117). It remains my top pick as far as nutrition manuals goes. If you haven't checked it out yet, click that link and let me know what you think. I've had a few clients try it and they love it, particularly for the nutrition recipes and information on nutrition plans based on body type ("somatotype" nutrition programming).

I got a notification from PN's president Dr. John Berardi last week with the subject line: "Could the chance to win $10,000 help you get in shape?" I was skeptical of course as it sounded a little too gimmicky, but after reading through, I liked the idea. I did admittedly think at first that the guy lost his mind. Now, don't get me wrong. I respect Dr Berardi. He's recognized as one of the top nutrition coaches in the world. And his programs get people results. Fast. However, when I watched this video he sent over, and learned that he's giving away $40,000 of his own money, he definitely got my attention. Check out this blog post for yourself:
http://precisionnutrition.com/cmd.php?pageid=987117&u=win-40k


So, if you're interested in finding out exactly how to eat to get in the best shape of your life, click the link below. 10 grand may be waiting for you on the other side. I'd love to see a few of my clients in the contest. As Dr. Berardi says, worst case scenario is you walk away with the best body of your life. Best case scenario being the same thing, plus you'd have a little change in your pocket :-)


To your health,
-PC

Great job Danvers!

I just finished up teaching 2 group ex. classes in Danvers last week. I split the class up into a warm-up and conditioning portion, a strength-based portion, and a core & mobility portion. The participants did a great job and wrote some wonderful feedback on their evaluation forms. I hope to see you guys again in the future. Happy Holidays!

Superlative Time

As I continue to tell my clients and those who are curious, the best piece of cardiovascular equipment is the Schwinn Air Dyne bike. It's that simple. They are SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than treadmills, are non-impact, and allow you to work your upper and lower body simultaneously. They also require minimal maintenance and are super resilient. Click the link below for more information:

Combatting Plantarfasciitis

Plantarfasciitis is inflammation of the plantarfascia on the bottom of your feet. It is a very common, sometimes quite painful issue for many Americans- including a couple past and present clients. I had a bad bout of it last summer and recently off and on as well. I blogged about it a while back too (http://pcconditioning.blogspot.com/2008/02/plantar-fasciitis.html). One "trick" I have clients do that works wonders is rolling their foot on a tennis ball to stretch the fascia on the underside of their feet. Check out the video above to see what I mean.

Food and Mood

There's been some solid evidence surrounding "food and mood" lately that I find very intriguing. I'm planning an article for an upcoming newsletter about it, but for now I just wanted to leave you with one example- blueberries. This favorite berry of mine contains antioxidants whose benefits have been linked to improvement in mood and the ability to stay focused.

I use blueberries in my Greek Yogurt just about every day. I'll also put them in smoothies as my fruit source. Stay tuned for my future article...

What the heck is Broccolini?

That was my initial reaction when I was reading a recent nutrition article online. Essentially, broccolini is a mix between Chinese kale and broccoli. Introduced to the United States in 1998 by Mann Packing Company, broccolini is loaded with Vitamins A & C. It's been in the U.S. for 11 years and I haven't tried it. Looks like I have another new food to try. If you've had it, let me know how it was and how you cooked it. I've read 12-15 minutes @ 450 degrees on a cookie sheet tossed with a little lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil works best.

Part 2 of last week's article

Last Saturday, I posted part 1 of a 2-part article on ways to improve strength and stability. As promised, here is part 2:

Ditch the Excessive Crunches- The latest scientific research has provided evidence of excessive crunching with disc herniations. I engage my clients in core stabilization exercises. Specifically, we typically strengthen the mid-section, lower back, hips, and glutes with exercises that prevent rotation rather than initiate it. This eliminates repetitive stress to your spine while improving your mid-section strength. As always, feel free to contact me (paulconnolly123@gmail.com) if you have any questions.

Moral of the story: eliminate the exercise pictured above and incorporate more exercise that induce core stability like prone planks (pictured below):

A True Ironman

A True Ironman (continued...)

Completing a triathlon remains the most challenging event I think an individual can put themselves through. Now try literally getting run over by a bus, THEN completing one! I HIGHLY recommend you check out the latest installment of HBO's Award-Winning "Real Sports." It features a story on Matthew Long (see video in blog post above), a New York City firefighter who was at the World Trade Center on 9/11 who was run over by a New York City bus in 2005. Long is not only an Ironman, but a true hero to many.

Pink Gloves Video

It all started when a medical supply company created a new line of hospital gloves- in pink. Medline Industries Inc. created these pink medical gloves and they are now seen in the new You Tube video that is sweeping the nation. Between Nov. 13th and Nov. 30th, the video has been viewed over 1.6 million times! Employees of the Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Oregon posted the video, and now Medline Industries is stepping up. They have agreed to donate a portion of the profits from the pink gloves to fund mammograms for women who otherwise would not get them. As the son of a breast cancer survivor, I love reading wonderful stories like this- particularly around the holidays.

To Count or Not to Count?

Is counting calories a waste of time? I'll admit I rarely count calories or advocate clients do so. I've historically used an approach of simply eliminating the junk and replacing it with higher quality foods. This seems to solve the majority of many nutritional dilemmas. That being said, here's a piece from Web MD on Calorie Counting: http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/dos-donts-counting-calories?page=2

More Good News for Sleep

I am always on my clients to get more rest and recovery, and here is more information to back me up: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/health/01really.html

It further confirms what I preach in that that being more physically active can lead to better sleep. Now go take a nap! :-)

Hoops on the NY Times Best Seller List

Being a hoops addict, it's nice to see 2 incredible basketball books on the New York Times Best Seller List (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/books/bestseller/besthardnonfiction.html?_r=1&ref=bestseller). They are "The Book of Basketball" by Bill Simmons and "When the Game Was Ours" by Jackie MacMullan. I have not read them yet, but have heard great things about them.