Why is it so hard to become or stay a healthy person? We have the brains and all the necessary human equipment to achieve great health so why is it so hard? Why are so many of us dying because of obesity, bad cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, etc.? I believe we are missing three important steps or if we have these they are out of order: Desire, Knowledge, and Persistence! If you have these three essentials in your life, in this order, the excuses are out the window.

Desire (WEBSTER: To wish or long for: Crave.) – We all need the desire to want to be a healthy person spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, mentally and physically. We need a burning desire inside of us to want to be a whole person.

Knowledge (WEBSTER: Familiarity, awareness, or comprehension acquired by experience or study.) – Attaining knowledge is key! We need to become as familiar and aware as possible of what is healthy. Also we need to know how to effectively implement healthy habits into our lives to make us successful.

Persistence (WEBSTER: The act of persisting: To hold steadfastly and firmly to a purpose, state, or undertaking, despite obstacles, warnings, or setbacks.) – With desire and knowledge comes the task of persistence. We have to hold on with a strong grip to our purpose which is to develop and keep our healthy lifestyle. Great health needs to be our way of life!

We need to eat, sleep, think, and breathe healthy. Now is the time to stop eating processed foods with trans-fatty fats, drinking colas, having excessive alcohol, late nights partying with little sleep, thinking and speaking negative, smoking cigarettes and/or doing drugs. Also we need to stop griping and blaming other people and things for causing us to be unhealthy. We are in control of our lives. We are our own managers. We need to have the Desire, Knowledge and Persistence to be successful at healthy living!

The following is your Fitness Blueprint!  I have developed this blueprint and use this with all of my One-On-One Personal Training clients, Small Group (Semi-Private) Personal Training clients, and Virginia Bootcamp clients every day!  I also do my best to follow this blueprint personally.  I hope this gives you an outline of what you can, and should be doing, to get healthier and build a better quality of life!

Exercise: Your Weekly Exercise Plan Blueprint should be as follows:

3 Days of Resistance Training for 30 Minutes with a Day off in between Workouts Example: Monday/Wednesday/Friday Resistance Training Workouts

3 Days of Cardiovascular Training for 30 Minutes with a Day off in between Wkts Example: Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday Cardiovascular Training Workouts

Stretch before, during, and after each of your workouts!

Nutrition: Your Daily Meal Plan Blueprint should be as follows:

Breakfast – (Lean Protein, Complex Carbohydrate, and Water)

Mid-Morning Snack – (Lean Protein, Fruit, and Water)

Lunch – (Lean Protein, Complex Carbohydrate, and Water)

Late Afternoon Snack – (Lean Protein, Fruit, and Water)

Dinner – (Lean Protein, Vegetable, and Water)

Nightly Snack – “Optional if Hungry and up late? (Lean Protein, Vegetable, and Water)

Healthy Grocery List Items to Plug into Your Daily Meal Plan Blueprint

Proteins:

Unsalted Peanuts, Natural Peanut Butter, Natural Almond Butter, Beans, Cottage Cheese, Canned Tuna, Chicken Breasts, Canned Chicken, Whey, Casein, and Soy Protein Shakes (low-carb / low-sugar), Fresh Halibut, Fresh Flounder, Tilapia, Unsalted Almonds, Low Fat or Skim Milk, Unsalted Walnuts, Low Calorie Cheese – Sliced and Stick, Eggs, Tuna Steaks, Low Sugar Yogurt, Buffalo, Bison, Rabbit, Deer/Venison, Soy Nuts, Soy Burgers,

Complex Carbohydrates:

Oatmeal, Cream of Wheat, Whole Grain Breads and Bagels, Sweet Potatoes, Red Potatoes, White Potatoes, Whole Grain or Long Grain Rice, Brown Rice, Whole Wheat Pasta, Veggie Pasta, Kashi Cereals, Quinoa

Fruits:

Apples, Cherries, Peaches, Nectarines, Pears, Bananas, Blueberries, Strawberries, Papayas, Blackberries, Cranberries, Kiwi, Mangos, Plums, Grapefruits, Oranges, Tangerines, Pineapple, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Honeydew Melons

Vegetables:

Fresh, Canned, or Frozen Green Beans, Fresh Cucumbers, Fresh, Canned, or Frozen Spinach, Salad in a Bag, Fresh Lettuce – Iceberg and Romaine, Fresh or Frozen Cauliflower, Fresh or Frozen Broccoli, Fresh, Canned, or Frozen Collard Greens, Fresh, Canned, or Frozen Turnip Greens, Canned or Fresh Asparagus, Tomatoes, Onions, Mushrooms, Green Peppers, Yellow Peppers, Red Peppers, Orange Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers,

Miscellaneous:

Water, Coffee (low sugar/cream), Tea (Low sugar/cream), Fresh or Bottled Herbs and Seasonings without salt/sodium, Bottled Water, Apple Cider Vinegar, Low Calorie Italian Dressing, Balsamic Vinegar, No-Trans Fat Butter – Tub, Stick, or Squeezed, Cinnamon

Rest: Your Weekly Rest/Sleep Plan Blueprint should be as follows:

1) -Get 8 hours of sleep each night!

2) -Take a nap each afternoon, everyday!

3) -Take an hour for yourself each day to just chill and relax with your hobby of choice!

You can now pay online with your credit card or Paypal for your Small Group, Large Group Bootcamps, or One-On-One Personal Training sessions by going to www.BurnCaloriesBootcamp.com !  Once you pay online you will receive a username and password and gain instant access to a private member’s only section and the 20-page 3 Weeks to Lean Nutrition plan!

When I spoke last week at the Hospital (12pm & 3pm on Thursday) it was announced that every Hospital Employee will receive the $49 for first month unlimited Virginia Bootcamp Special!

You get all Small Group (Men’s, Women’s, & Co-ed ) and Med-Large Group Bootcamps + Nutrition unlimited for one month then if you decide to keep getting great results you can do the next month at whatever the lowest special may be!

Try it for a month at $49 and start Burning Calories and Losing Inches Now! www.VirginiaBootcamp.com / (434)728-0952

Why do so many people say it’s too hard to lose weight and it’s too hard to practice a little discipline, but they find it easier to live in misery with Obesity related ailments and committing a slow suicide pickling themselves with prescription drugs to mask the effects of their FAT?!

Please listen to what I am saying here!  The Healthiest Weight Loss Solution is about combining Exercise, Nutrition, and Rest for a powerful combination that will zap FAT and get rid of your Overweight or Obesity problem!

We should have been doing what we should have been doing in the first place – Not Dieting & Lazy – just being active and exercising, eating healthy, and getting enough rest and we wouldn’t be in this predicament in the first place!

Next what you will read is part of a blog post I put on one of my websites (www.VirginiaBootcamp.com) the other day that references what I believe is possible, what I see happening everyday with clients we see, what will happen for anyone who will trust us to show them Proper Exercise, Healthy Nutrition, and Rest/Stress Relief:

Our Goal as Your Personal Trainers is for You to Believe in You!

Listen, our deepest desire for our clients is for them to believe in themselves!  If you are hurting from being Overweight or Obese, hurting from your Diabetes, hurting from your acid reflux, hurting from your arthritis, hurting from your fibromyalgia, hurting from your osteoporosis, hurting from your chronic fatigue, hurting from your high blood pressure, hurting from your high cholesterol, hurting from depression, or hurting from any other ailment your Un-Healthy Lifestyle has dealt you…then please read-on for your solution to feel better.

I am not going to tell you how well you will do…I want you to experience it!  With Virginia Bootcamp Fitness and Nutrition you will become healthier and more physically independent from medicines used to treat, not fix problems.

Believe in Yourself!  You can be healthier and happier!

Virginia Bootcamp…

-          Builds self-confidence,

-          Gives you a better quality of life,

-          Is life changing,

-          Will give you workouts each week full of variety,

-          Gives you healthy meal and snack plans – The Healthiest Weight Loss Solution System,

-          Is a great place to make friends,

-          Is a fun fitness experience,

-          Gives you the tools to be a better you,

-          Is guaranteed to burn calories,

-          Helps you lose inches of body fat,

-          Most importantly Virginia Bootcamp cares about you!

You see I used to weigh over 305 pounds so I can feel the pain of an Obese person!  I know what it’s like to have an overwhelming weight loss obstacle right in front of you!  I feel your pain, but I also know there is hope!  I know what is on the opposite side of the Obesity coin and it’s relief, hope, health, happiness, and something so positive and life-changing that you will wonder why you were so scared to take-on such a simple challenge earlier!

My job as a Personal Trainer is so important to me because I get to take part in life-changing work.  What I do is serious business.  When I help a determined client by giving them the tools necessary to achieve results, motivate them, guide them, help them implement these tools into their busy lifestyle, and hold them accountable, we win together!  I believe I have one of the best careers in the world!  I get to help make a difference in people’s lives and the lives of those around them.  The health-bug becomes contagious!  Before you know it you are becoming a healthy influence on all those around you!

Some of my One-On-One and Small Group clients and our Virginia Bootcamp clients have experienced and told me the following just the past few weeks:

-          High Blood pressure is down with lots of clients

-          Bad Cholesterol is down with lots of clients

-          High Sugar is down with lots of clients

-          D. lost 10 pounds this past four weeks, lost inches, firmed and toned trouble areas, she sleeps better, and is more positive

-          E. lost 11 pounds this past four weeks, lost inches in his waist, and built more endurance and stamina

-          G. lost 8 pounds this past four weeks, lost inches in his waist, and has better endurance working outside and playing with his boys

-          D. lost 5 pounds this past few weeks and lost inches in his waist

-          Many clients sleeping better now that they are Exercising regularly

-          Many clients with a more positive outlook on their days now

-          Many clients getting more toned, stronger, better endurance

-          C. has lost 40 pounds is less than 4 months, cut way back on Insulin for Type 1 Diabetes, and has lost lots of inches of body fat

Now these are just a few healthy success stories a few clients at the moment are experiencing!  But this is not all because of me; this is also because of what they are accomplishing!

You see, these clients are sick and tired of being sick and tired.  They were ready to take Action, Make Healthy changes, and put forth a little effort.  I give them the tools, guidance, motivation, accountability, etc, but they are also working towards achieving their goals!  Their investment in themselves, their little bit of work of maybe 3-4 hours per week of Exercising, Eating right, and getting the right Rest is paying them back in huge dividends!  They are experiencing life-changing and positively healthy results that are kicking most of their ailments, medicines, and bad habits to the curbs!  They are gonna live longer, healthier, and more productive lives and be around to spend more time with their family and friends!

If you are on the fence and not sure if you are ready to take Action, then make yourself ready to take Action!  You have nothing to lose, only great results to gain!  You have the power within You to overcome being a few pounds Overweight or morbidly Obese!   Believe in Yourself!  You can be healthier and happier!

Once you take-on a healthier lifestyle the inches and body fat will just start to go away!  It all falls into place immediately when you begin taking Action and start living healthy!  You can do this!

Have a great weekend!

-Dave

Listen, our deepest desire for our clients is for them to believe in themselves!  If you are hurting from being Overweight or Obese, hurting from your Diabetes, hurting from your acid reflux, hurting from your arthritis, hurting from your fibromyalgia, hurting from your osteoporosis, hurting from your chronic fatigue, hurting from your high blood pressure, hurting from your high cholesterol, hurting from depression, or hurting from any other ailment your Un-Healthy Lifestyle has dealt you…then please read-on for your solution to feel better.

I am not going to tell you how well you will do…I want you to experience it!  With Virginia Bootcamp Fitness and Nutrition you will become healthier and more physically independent from medicines used to treat, not fix problems.

Believe in Yourself!  You can be healthier and happier!

We should have been doing what we should have been doing in the first place – Not Dieting – just being active and exercising, eating healthy, and getting enough rest and we wouldn’t be in this predicament in the first place!

Virginia Bootcamp…

-          Builds self-confidence,

-          Gives you a better quality of life,

-          Is life changing,

-          Will give you workouts each week full of variety,

-          Gives you healthy meal and snack plans – The Healthiest Weight Loss Solution System,

-          Is a great place to make friends,

-          Is a fun fitness experience,

-          Gives you the tools to be a better you,

-          Is guaranteed to burn calories,

-          Helps you lose inches of body fat,

-          Most importantly Virginia Bootcamp cares about you!

Virginia Bootcamp Fitness and Nutrition!

Burn Calories, Lose Inches, and Feel Better!

One-On-One Personal Training, Small Group (Semi-Private) Bootcamps, and Large Group Bootcamps!

www.VirginiaBootcamp.com

Summer Healthy Eating Plan

We should all be following a healthy eating plan along with regular resistance training and cardiovascular exercises plus stretching and enough rest.  If you do not know what eating healthy is, then read-on for a sensible plan.  This plan will give you the right carbs in the morning and afternoon for energy, then the fibrous veggie carbs for the evening.  The idea behind my plan is that we all need energy early in the day starting right after waking-up.  We then need a consistent flow of the right carbs throughout the early part of the day, then lower carbs (veggies, usually greener the better) evening and later when we tend to slow down.  Once we slow down we do not need the extra carbs and energy, so if we ate lots of starches late in the day we would not use them for fuel but store as fat!  We do not need to gain fat by eating too many starchy carbs late in the evening.

Here is an outline of the Summer Healthy Eating Plan (Food every 2-3 hours):

Meal One (Breakfast): Protein, Complex Carb, and Water

Snack One (Mid-Morning): Protein, Fruit, and Water

Meal Two (Lunch): Protein, Complex Carb, and Water

Snack Two (Late Afternoon): Protein, Fruit, and Water

Meal Three (Dinner): Protein, Veggie, and Water

Snack Three (Late Evening & Optional): Protein, Veggie, and Water

Here are a few choices for Proteins, Fruits, Complex Carbs, and Veggies:

Some Healthy Protein Choices:

Chicken Breasts, Turkey Breasts, Pork Tenderloin, Deer, Eggs, Low Fat Milk, Soy Protein, Whey Protein, Cheese Sticks, Cottage Cheese, Almonds, Walnuts, Pecans, Yogurt, Shrimp, Tilapia, Flounder, Tuna Steaks, Canned Tuna, Canned Chicken, Grouper, Swordfish, Pork Chops, Tofu, Turkey Burger, Chicken Burger, Lean Beef Burger, Pinto Beans, Navy Beans, Black Beans, White Beans, Kidney Beans

Some Healthy Fruit Choices:

Apples, Pears, Grapefruit, Oranges, Peaches, Cantaloupe, Honeydew Melon, Watermelon, Kiwi, Nectarines, Plums, Strawberries, Blueberries, Grapes, Dates, Prunes, Cherries, Blackberries, Cranberries, Guava, Mangos, Pineapple, Tangerines

Some Healthy Complex Carb Choices:

Oatmeal, Sweet Potatoes, Yams, Quinoa, Whole Grain Breads, Whole Wheat Pastas, Brown Rice, Wild Rice, Veggie Pasta, Whole Wheat English Muffins, Red Potatoes, Granola Unsweetened, Whole Grain Bagels

Some Healthy Veggie Choices:

Broccoli, Green Beans, Asparagus, Collard Greens, Turnip Greens, Mushrooms, Onions, Cauliflower, Kale, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Avocado, Green Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers, Yellow Peppers, Orange Peppers, Red Peppers, Cilantro, Iceberg Lettuce, Romaine Lettuce, Spinach, Carrots, Celery, Cabbage

Summer Diet and Exercise Tips

1.       Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables to provide your body with lots of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants!

2.       Stay cool and well hydrated by drinking lots of cold water as often as possible. Do not stuff yourself with water, just be sensible and drink till satisfied consistently throughout each day!

3.       Grill, bake, or broil your meats and fish to cut calories then add herbs, spices, and seasonings to add low calorie but great flavors.

4.       Wash your meats, fish, fruits, and veggies thoroughly to get rid of as much bacteria as possible.

5.       Avoid Fast Food Restaurants!  They are making us Fat, Bloating Us, Draining our Pocket Books, and Killing Us!

6.       If you have to eat out opt for lean meats, veggies, whole grains, non-sweetened fruits and dairy!

7.       Keep water with you always by having it in your car, office, school, gym, etc.

8.       Pack a cooler each morning with healthy foods and water for you so you do not get stuck somewhere without healthy foods!

9.       Workout with Resistance Training Exercises 3 times per week for at least 30 minutes each time!

10.   Workout doing Cardiovascular Exercises 3 times per week for at least 30 minutes each time!

11.   Stretch before, during, and after each workout!

12.   Workout with friends and/or family to support each other’s healthy lifestyles!

13.   Do not make excuses anymore!  Gone are the days of excuses and blaming everyone else!

14.   Check with your doctor before beginning any exercise plan to make sure your cardiovascular system is OK!

15.   Take a cooking class to learn a variety of ways to season and spice things-up!

16.   Hire a Certified Personal Trainer, to learn more about safe exercising techniques, workout planning, proper exercise form, nutritional planning, healthy food options, motivation and accountability!

17.   Stop with the FAD DIETS!  They DO NOT WORK!

18.   Practice some Self-Discipline and get on with healthy exercising and healthy eating!

19.   Have a few reward meals each week to eat a bit of junk to help you keep sanity!

20.   Try to be good throughout the weekdays then you can reward yourself on the weekends a little!

If your doctor is telling you to get on a no-carb diet and avoid a healthy daily combination of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, complex carbs, drinking water, resistance training, stretching, cardiovascular exercise, and rest then please check with another doctor.  If you are only eating lots of junk all day, every day, then common sense will tell you that the above healthy food combinations will get you on the right path.  Check with your doctor before trying the above plan if you are diabetic or allergic to any of the above foods.  If you really want to lose weight and you seek help from your doctor and he or she puts you off on some unhealthy pre-made or processed food plan such as Nutri System, Jenny Craig, or Weight Watchers, etc… or some other plan that does not get long lasting results and benefits, then check with another doctor and let me know about it.

I am hearing more and more of doctors putting people on unhealthy plans and telling them to not exercise with resistance and cardiovascular exercises plus stretching.  They are setting you up to fail again and again!  If you are not really ready to lose weight and practice self-discipline then you yourself are setting you up to fail also.  Most commercial food plans and diets do not help you to eat for nourishing your body, they are only low calorie, and not healthy for your body.  If your system tells you eating white dough cheese pizza is not bad, then it is lying to you.  You want to eat to benefit your body, not just eat low calorie for the sake of low calories.  If you run out of points early in the day and cannot eat anymore, then you will stall your metabolism and gain more fat.  This is not good!  We have to consistently supply healthy foods to our body all day to keep blood sugar up and metabolism running high.

Our ancestors were not obese and they ate combinations of healthy foods all day every day.  The more processed junk we eat the more fat we will gain.  The lazier we are the more fat we gain.  When we workout, eat healthy, and get plenty of rest we lose lots of body fat and keep it off!

Cut Out the Junk and You Will Cut Out the Fat!  Work It Out To Workout!

Have a great weekend!

-          Dave

“I have been training with Dave for 2 1/2 months now and have lost 30 lbs.  I have increased my lean muscle mass, my cardiovascular fitness, and my metabolism and this has enabled me to burn more fat each each workout and day.  Dave has done an excellent job of tailoring the training to my individual needs and has also kept my nutrition on target.  With Dave’s continued one on one training I hope to reach my overall weight loss goal by early next year.”

Dr. Cory A. McKinley

For more testimonials from some of Dave’s Personal Training and Virginia Bootcamp clients please visit the Testimonials page at the top of this site!