Healthy Habits: Keeping it Light at Starbucks

I don't know too many people that don't love Starbucks. However, nothing irks me more than watching someone work their butt off in Boot Camp only to ruin it with a full-fat mocha topped with whipped cream! Here's some tips to keep your morning cup of joe reasonable and still delicious: 

1. If you take milk in your coffee, make it skim! If you don't need milk, try a Caffe Americano with sugar-free syrup. Yummy taste but very low in calories! 
2. Try to order a "skinny" latte or mocha, which contains skim milk and sugar-free syrup. 
3. DO NOT order whipped cream. Seriously. It can add an additional 90 calories per serving! 
4. Avoid at all costs the case full of pastries. Nothing in that entire display is healthy. Don't believe me? Examine the evidence. 

Starbucks has several drink options under 200 calories. Take a look and find the best and healthiest option for you! 

DumBell Fitness Demos: Ab Extensions Using a Stability Ball

Today's DumBell Fitness Demo: Ab Extensions Using a Stability Ball! 

Quick Tips: Prepping for Healthy Snacks

The key to sticking to a healthy-eating plan is preparation. By stocking our house full of healthy snacks, we are less likely to binge on the bad stuff. Here's some tips to prepare yourself and your family for a week of healthy eating: 

1. Visit the store or Farmers' Market and stock up on fresh produce. Immediately go home, wash and prep the fruits and veggies into individual serving sizes. You will be so much more likely to eat your vegetables if all the prep is complete! 
2. Involve your kids by making sure you have a "rainbow" of colors in your produce bin. The more colors, the more vitamins. Plus, it just looks pretty! 
3. Portion out heart-healthy almonds or make your own trail mix for on-the-go snacking.
4. Make snack bins for your kids. When the kids need a snack, parent-approved healthy snacks are always ready to go! Some good items to have on-hand? Organic, fat-free yogurt, string cheese, hummus and carrots, orange segments, and pre-made "ants on a log" with natural peanut butter and raisins.

Making our weekly fruit rainbow! 

Plan your healthy snacks out ahead of time and you will succeed! 

Don't Give Up!

Today we wanted to share some advice with you: don't give up! It can take a long time to see significant and visible changes in your body, but each day that you workout and eat healthy you are making the choice to make that change! Hopefully the following quote will inspire you to keep pushing yourself towards your goals. 

"Don’t let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use."

- Earl Nightingale

Healthy Habits: The Right Way to Order Sushi

I absolutely love sushi. It can be a delicious and healthy meal, but like anything else, can be easily junked up with unhealthy "extras." Today I'd like to share a few tips for ordering sushi without sacrificing your waist line.

If you're able to tolerate raw fish on it's own, sashimi is a great option. If you prefer rolls, when you can, order brown rice instead of white. Avoid any rolls that use mayonnaise (this includes anything with a spicy sauce!) or cream cheese. Make sure to stay away from anything that involves tempura as well. Vegetable rolls, or maki, are a great option.

Don't forget that while low in calories, soy sauce contains a very high amount of sodium. Use low-sodium if it's availalbe. Ginger and wasabi are great condiment options that offer a serious flavor punch. Remember that a serving size is actually just 6-8 pieces of sushi (depending on the size) so be sure to be conscious of the amount you're eating.

Living in Hawaii, we are supplied with a steady stream of fresh fish, but it's also important to make sure the fish you're eating is sustainable, and also that is contains acceptable levels of mercury. For more information, visit the Environmental Defense Fund Web site. 

To Tri or Not to Tri

**Today’s post is brought to you by McGrew Trainer, Cheri Kendall.

I love to do triathlons. Many times I find myself in conversations with people about triathlons, and every time folks swear they could never do one. Most of the time, the reason given is lack of swimming skills. We can all ride a bike and put one foot in front of the other to run, trot or walk our way through the final portion of the race, but swimming is intimidating to most people. I used to accept that maybe triathlons were not for the non-swimmers, until yesterday's Lanikai Triathlon.

I had neck fusion surgery two years ago, which solved many issues but left me with some range-of-motion limitations. Not a problem unless you can only freestyle breathe on your right with two foot waves coming in from that side, which is what happened to me yesterday. I began to panic (lack of oxygen will do that to you!) and realized if something didn’t change quickly I was done with this race. So I rolled over to catch my breath and decided I’d backstroke until I was calm.  I was making better time and could reverse steer the course by sighting off the buoy I’d already passed before the panic attack. The only down side was that my legs were working harder than when I freestyle, but I figured all those squats had to come in handy somewhere, right? I stayed in the backstroke until the final turn, put the waves behind me, and I free styled to the beach and headed into the bike transition. The rest of the race went smoothly and my finish time was as expected for the race conditions.

I’m really glad I didn’t quit. I firmly believe that any Boot Camper can survive (and even rock!) a sprint triathlon. So the next time triathlons come up in conversation, think about me backstroking through the Lanikai Triathlon and then tell yourself…I COULD DO THAT! 

DumBell Success Stories: What Success Means to Us

Each Saturday, DumBell Fitness features a success story from one of our Boot Camps. But today, we wanted to share with you what success really means to us.

Being healthy is so much more than just the number on the scale! Truly, strong is the new skinny. What we love to see are Boot Campers who used to loathe running around the block now competing in triathlons and marathons. We love to see women in class deciding to do the agility course three times instead of two. We love to watch women change the way they carry themselves when exercise has given them their confidence back.

We love seeing recruits get to the point where working out is part of their daily lifestyle. It becomes a habit, to the point that you actually feel a difference in your body and in your mood on the days that you work out (or don't work out!).

Living a healthy lifestyle is contagious. Boot Campers take their in-class success and drill it down into their family by coaching their kids sports teams and preparing healthier meals for their families. Instead of family outings revolving around eating at a favorite restaurant, they start taking their boogie boards to the beach or hiking on the weekends. It's proven that exercise can improve your mood and feeling of well-being, making you a better parent, a better spouse, and a better co-worker.

So many of our Boot Campers have overcome amazing obstacles, physically and mentally. It inspires us everyday, and we're thrilled to be able to share them with you. Stay tuned for more success stories in the coming weeks!

DumBell Fitness Demos: Up and Overs

Looking for a new way to get in a cardio burst? Try today's DumBell Fitness Demo, featuring Up and Overs! 

Healthy Habits: Avoiding the Cereal Bar Trap

At my Boot Camps I hear so many women say that they like to snack on cereal bars. They are handy, portable, and conveniently packaged in controlled portion sizes. However, most of these bars are full of high-fructose corn syrup, sugar, and other additives. Some of the worst offenders are Special K Bars, Luna Bars, and Power Bars. They are the perfect example of a "health" food that's actually bad for you. These should not be your go-to snack!

If you are seeking out some healthy, on-the-go snacks, there are some decent bars out there for you to try. As always, be sure to read the ingredients! The less, the better. I really enjoy Lara Bars. They are made with real ingredients. My favorite bar only contains three: peanuts, dates, and salt. You can find them at the commissary!

 If you want to take things even one step further you can make your own bars at home. As a bonus, they are cheaper as well!

 Try to step away from your cereal-bar habit this week and try out these alternatives! 

Quick Tips: Don't Blame the Dryer

Dear Muffin Top:

It’s not the dryer’s fault that your pants are too tight. Own up! Work out!

Healthy Habits: Updated Chicken Salad

I've been experimenting with substituting Greek yogurt for mayonnaise lately. I have to admit that Greek yogurt is not my favorite thing to eat--I find it very sour. However, I have found that it can actually be quite yummy mixed into some of my favorite foods, such as chicken salad. I've found that the trick is to add lemon juice and dijon mustard to the yogurt. Tastes so much like mayo! Below is a recipe I through together last week that my family really enjoyed. Try it out this week! 

DumBell Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

Two chicken breasts, cooked (I seasoned mine with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and sautéed in a pan sprayed lightly with cooking spray)
1 cup celery
1 green onion, chopped

1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced 

1/2 cup raisins    

1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt (more or less depending on how wet you like the salad to be.)

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1/2 lemon, juiced 

dash of salt and pepper

Mix together well. Serve in a lettuce wrap or a whole wheat tortilla. 

DumBell Chicken Salad served two ways! Yum! 

Stacey Snee is Mrs. Hawaii!

Our very own Stacey Snee was crowned Mrs. Hawaii last night in Waikiki! DumBell Fitness recruits and trainers were out in full force to watch her take the crown looking absolutely gorgeous. 

Congratulations, Stacey! DumBell Fitness is incredibly proud of you! 

McGrew Crew supporters! 

Stacey and her fellow contestants.

Stacey with McGrew trainer Cheri Kendall and Lead Trainer Christina Landry! 

DumBell Success Stories: Erin Zavala

Today's DumBell Success Story features the inspirational Erin Zavala. Congratulations, Erin! 

Erin started the Ford Island Boot Camp nearly two years ago (back in the day when Ford Island was the only Boot Camp option!) after a friend enthusiastically recommended it. "After having my daughter and going through our first deployment in Washington, I was completely out of shape and weighing in at 170 pounds," says Erin. "I would spend the day taking care of my kids and binge eating sweets and snack food at night. I knew I was in serious trouble but I wasn't ready to do anything about it until we got our orders to Hawaii - that was the impetus for me to start losing weight and getting fit. My friend suggested that I try this awesome program she had started and voila! I started with Dumbell Fitness almost two years ago and haven't felt this good since I was thirteen years old and doing competitive gymnastics."

Erin, pre-Boot Camp, two years ago! 

Erin's story is unique in that she has been excelling at Boot Camp despite dealing with two big obstacles: her knees. "I was a competitive gymnast for years and ended up with Jumper's Knee in both of my knees. I continued to do gymnastics, but I seriously injured the ACL in my left knee when I landed a vaulting exercise incorrectly", remembers Erin. "It ended my career as a gymnast. Fast forward to my twenties when I was working at a YMCA in California. I did a running jump over a towel return desk in the gym and completely tore my ACL. I didn't have medical insurance at the time so surgery was out of the question. I wasn't sure how I would do in Boot Camp, but I figured I could at least give it a try. That was two years ago and I am still going strong."

"What I love about Erin is that she is 100% self-motivated. Even with a seriously injured ACL, she never complains during class, or even misses a set. She takes the initiative to make the modifications necessary for her and pushes her own limits in every single class", says Lead Instructor Christina Landry. 

Erin credits Christina for keeping her motivated. "Every time I think I can't bang out one more burpee or possibly do 20 more seconds of 'happy feet' she says exactly what I need to hear in order to not only finish the exercise, but to push through it harder each time. The fact that after two years I still am able to curse Christina (in the nicest possible way, of course!) as I climb up my stairs after a twelve-count leg day or wince when I go to wash my hair after  a 'triceps for days' session is a testament to the fact that her program is still absolutely working for me, and working well!"

"My favorite part of Boot Camp is the feeling of camaraderie that develops when women work together," says Erin. "That and the free childcare! Part of the reason that I didn't work out in Washington is that I didn't have anyone to watch my kids for me. Boot Camp solved that dilemma - offering childcare is genius in my book. It really did give me NO excuses and in time I have come to really relish those hours of "me" time that Boot Camp gives me; it recharges my mood and makes me a better parent and wife."

Landry herself is motivated by Erin's commitment to staying active and healthy."Erin is proof positive that even someone with severe injuries can benefit from an intense fitness program. Even though so many would use such an intense injury as an excuse to sit back and be complacent, Erin has used it to push herself even harder. Watching her dedication inspires me in every class!" 

This is what NO excuses looks like! 

"It has been a joy to see the program grow from just our Ford Island location to locations all over the island. I look forward to seeing what the future brings. Thank you, Christina Landry and Dumbell Fitness - you have truly turned this kitten into a tiger!"

DumBell Fitness Demos: Triple Treats

In today's DumBell Fitness Demo, Christina Landry demonstrates one of her favorite Boot Camp abdominal exercises: Triple Treats! 

Fitness Tips: The Importance of a Good Sports Bra

**Disclaimer: if you're a male Boot Camper, you might want to go ahead and skip reading today's post!


I cannot emphasize enough how important a good, supportive sports bra is. If you're serious about fitness, it should absolutely be an item that you invest in. It is just as important, if not more so, than investing in good running shoes! 


When seeking advice as to which bras are the best for those of us not in the IBTC, I turned to my friend and past Boot Camper Tonya Foley. Tonya chronicles her quest for a good sports bra and the best anti-chafing solutions on her hilarious blog, Fat Girl Running. Tonya has truly tried every sports bra on the market. Here are her suggestions, as only Tonya could write them!  


"I like the Ta-Ta Tamer from Lululemon because it thwarts the headlights and doesn't give me uni-boob, but it is still comfortable enough for distance running. I also like the Enell for the complete lack of bounce. I mean NO movement! Finally, I would recommend checking out Title Nine. All of their sports bras are rated by chest size and ability to contain the bounce. Plus, some aren't as ugly as the Enell brand, LOL!" 


The search for the ultimate sports bra also hit our DumBell Fitness Boot Campers Facebook page this week. Many mentioned the same brands as Tonya, and there were also several people that recommended the Fiona bra from Moving Comfort.  


Take some time during your off week from Boot Camp to try on some of these bras, and find the brand and fit that works for you! Do not neglect your "girls!" 

Wednesday's Winners: Kelley Clouse

This week's "Wednesday's Winner" is Ford Island Boot Camper Kelley Clouse. Congrats on all of your hard work, Kelley! 

Kelley Clouse has been a member of the Ford Island 8:30 am M/W/F course for two months. This course was the very first DumBell Fitness location opened, and as such, it is full of long-time Boot Campers. To some, this may have been intimidating, but not Kelley. Lead DumBell Trainer Christina Landry says of Kelley, "She never let the fear of being the new girl overcome her. She started in the back of line, but has now progressed to running in the middle of the pack. I have no doubt that by next month she will elbow her way to the front of the line!" 

"I knew Boot Camp would be a challenge, but I took it on and pushed myself to my limit. I am so glad I did. I feel better and stronger already," says Kelley. "I was so excited to win Biggest Loser. It made all the pain worth it!" Kelley also credits her success to eating a little something every three hours so that she never feels hungry. She also wants to thank her friend and fellow Boot Camper Kristin Emmons for getting her started on her fitness journey! 

Christina can't say enough good things about Kelley's dedication. "Kelly is a model student at Boot Camp. She is never late, and she pushes through all of the hard exercises. She places her mat so she can always see me and follow every command. She's determined and her attitude is contagious in the best way possible. A few of my long-time participants could learn a thing or two about watching her--it's all about attitude and she is always mentally checked-in!" 

Christina and Kelley posing at Ford Island! 

"I am even more excited to keep challenging myself and to continue reaching my goals," says Kelley. "I think everyone needs a little Christina in their life!" 

Organic Living: Kula Fields

Last week I received my very first produce box from Kula Fields Delivery. Kula Fields offers Oahu and Maui residents front-door delivery of local, fresh produce. Most of the fruits and vegetables are organic, and all produce is straight from Oahu farmers. The fruits and vegetables are picked up from the farmers 24-48 hours before they are delivered to your doorstep. Essentially, it's a farmers' market in a box! You get to eat healthy, sustainable food and also help stimulate the local economy. That sounds like a win-win to me! 


The contents of our first box were: 

• Rainbow Chard
• Lettuce 
• Tomatoes
• Baby Bok Choy
• Celery
• Green Beans 
• Strawberry Papaya
• Basil
• Rambutan
• Eggs 

Contents of our first Kula Fields produce box. Yum! 

What I really loved about the box is not only that it was delivered right to my door, but also that it allowed my family to explore some new items in a fun way! My daughter absolutely loved the rambutan...after I Googled how to eat them. Ha! 

Rambutan...Trinity approved! 

If you're interested in learning more, visit the Kula Fields site. The good news is that there is no obligation to buy more than one week at a time, so I definitely encourage you to try it out at least once! If you're a small family, you could even split a box with a friend until you decide if it's a good fit for you. 

Childcare Easter Egg Hunt!

One of the things we are most proud of at DumBell Fitness is our ability to offer free childcare at all but one of our Boot Camp locations. By offering this valuable service, we enable our recruits to workout without the additional fees and hassle of outside childcare, and also the ability to come get consistent workouts whether or not their spouse is in town. Plus, the children are able to have fun playing with other kiddos. It's win-win!

 The people that truly make this possible are our wonderful and dedicated childcare workers. Last week, most of our locations organized and hosted Easter Egg hunts for the children. Needless to say, it was a big hit!

The eggs are hidden!

On your mark...get set...

GO!!!

They were on a mission! 

A debt of gratitude goes out to all of our childcare workers! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

DumBell Success Stories: Stacey Snee

DumBell Fitness is proud to feature weekly success stories from our many Boot Camp locations. Today, we're featuring Stacey Snee, whose story is a little different than our past success profiles. Stacey has long been thin, but found her strength at Boot Camp. She is also bringing fitness and health to children as she competes for Mrs. Hawaii! Congratulations, Stacey! 

Stacey Snee currently holds the title of Mrs. Aiea and is competing in the Mrs. Hawaii pageant on Sunday, April 15th. An inaugural "McGrew Crew" member, Stacey has an impressive background. She graduated from the United States Naval Academy and served as both a Surface Warfare Officer and METOC officer during her military career. She also holds a Masters of Science in Nutritional Sciences and is a Registered Dietitian. 

When Stacey first began Boot Camp, she was thin, but as trainer Cheri Kendall states, "She was skinny-fat. Stacey is a fantastic example of what the Dumbell Fitness program can do. When she first started, she had no buns and no guns. But, she is now fit, toned, and walking tall with her shoulders back and her girls up high! I am very proud of what she has accomplished and so pleased to have been part of the process." 

Stacey and members of the "McGrew Crew" at the Great Aloha Run! 

 Since starting at McGrew, Stacey has not only put on muscle, but developed a regular workout routine. "My training regimen is basically just Boot Camp on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at McGrew. I run shorter distance maintenance runs on Tuesday and Thursdays and longer runs on Saturdays or Sundays. A Registered Dietician by trade, my diet basically follows the principles of balance, variety, and moderation." 

In addition to her success in Boot Camp, what we really admire about Stacey is her commitment to fighting the growing childhood obesity epidemic in this country. She specializes in nutrition programs for young children and has a multitude of experience working with families of overweight and obese children. Her hope is that the Mrs. Hawaii platform will allow her the opportunity to bring even more attention to this serious epidemic. DumBell Fitness could not be more proud of her for bringing attention to this critical issue that is also close to our hearts.

Learn more about Stacey's journey to the Mrs. Hawaii pageant by watching this video by Manoa Productions. If you are interested in attending the pageant, contact Stacey for ticket information. 

Best of luck, Stacey! We hope you bring home the crown! 

DumBell Fitness Demos: Frog Jumps

In today's demo, lead DumBell Fitness trainer Christina Landry demonstrates how to utilize a stair stepper to get in a great cardio burst at the gym or at home. Try these frog jumps today! 

Family Matters: Tips for a Healthy Easter

Easter is on Sunday and DumBell Fitness would like to share some tips to make the holiday a healthy day for your family. Typically, Easter is characterized by a large basket full of chocolate eggs and jellybeans. This year, we challenge to you to limit the influx of sugar. It’s so important to avoid instilling in your children that food equals enjoyment. It may seem like giving out large amounts of candy is a small deal, but it can have long-term effects on your child’s health and relationship with food.

Tip #1:  Leave out carrots for the Easter Bunny the night before Easter. Make the carrots a treat for your kiddos, too, and talk about how healthy they are!

Tip #2: Keep up your Easter egg hunt tradition, but instead of filling the eggs with candy, try:

Stickers

Quarters

Punching Balloons

Finger Lights

Squinkies

Little Pet Shop toys

Tip #3:  Turn your leftover Easter eggs into healthy snacks! You can make low-fat deviled eggs and egg salad. Or, just use them as a great protein-filled snack, or even add them to your salad for lunch.

DumBell Fitness wishes you a healthy and happy Easter! 

Wednesday's Winners: Candice Chapman

This week our featured Wednesday's Winner is Hickam recruit Candice Chapman. Way to go, Candice! 

Candice Chapman joined the Hickam AFB Boot Camp in November. She says, "Honestly, prior to joining Boot Camp, I thought I was able to lose weight on my own. I now realize that it isn't just about a group of women coming together to exercise. It's so much more." 

When Candice didn't lose any weight after her first month of training, she approached trainer Alicia Palmer, who suggested she get in at least 20 extra minutes of cardio each day. "I made sure my feet hit the payment daily," says Candice. "In the process, I have improved my overall running ability and have even begun to enjoy it!" 

Hickam trainer Alicia Palmer says of Candice, "She's a quiet one, but she's always working her tail off. In her first month, she suffered from a fairly serious calf strain, so she had a lot to overcome. She didn't make excuses, she just fought through it. And now, she's the Biggest Loser!' 

"I know that if it wasn't for Alicia and the rest of the Hickam crew, I would not have the motivation to continue to push myself," raves Candice. "Alicia commented at my last weigh-in that she could see the skinny girl inside me. And to tell the truth, I can finally see that person again, too!" 

Candice and Alicia after class. Keep up the great work, Candice! 

Quick Tips: Cardio Machines

The other day I was at the gym and I watched numerous people making some serious errors on the cardio machines! Today I wanted to share with you my tips for using cardio machines correctly: 

1. NEVER hang onto the machine. MOVE your arms and support yourself. Do not lean on the machine. Try to move your upper body as much as possible. Your arms are closer to your heart than your legs. To get the highest cardio response, you need your arms! 
2. If you don't feel like holding onto the moving handles of the elliptical machine, get off and get on one that doesn't have moving arms. People like me hate waiting for the good machines while you rest your arms! 
3. Switch it up. Don't just stay on the elliptical for an entire hour. My favorite inside cardio day is 20/20/20: 20 minutes on the bike, 20 minutes on the elliptical, and 20 minutes running or rowing. Don't allow your workout to get boring! 
4. Don't read a book or magazine while doing cardio! It should be impossible for you to focus on the words. If you can read, you are NOT moving enough! 
5. For the best cardio response, workout in intervals! Intervals are great for burning more fat while building muscle. Don't stay on the same level and speed for the whole hour. Go faster for a minute and then slow down for two minutes. Or, use more resistance or elevation for a minute then back down for two minutes. Change it up! 

Now that you're armed with the dos and don'ts of cardio machines, go out there and get your workout on! 

DumBell Trainers Get R.I.P.P.E.D!

DumBell Fitness prides itself on continually keeping our recruits challenged by never repeating the same workout twice. To always stay on top of their game, our instructors not only attend monthly trainer meetings to share new workout ideas, but they also regularly attend training seminars. Over the weekend, our fabulous trainers attended a full 8 hours of R.I.P.P.E.D training at Hickam Air Force Base. R.I.P.P.E.D combines interval training and Mixed Martial Arts to create conditioning exercises for all fitness levels. Congratulations to all of our newly-certified trainers! 

DumBell Trainers Alison Fournier, Laurie Weber, Alicia Palmer, Christina Landry, and Cheri Kendall

Doing some serious planking! 

Laurie demonstrating a move in front of the class. 

Looking good, trainers! Can't wait to see these new moves in action at Boot Camp!