FFF Diva Motivation: Get Your Mind Right!

Lately in Operation Boot Camp us individual campers have been slacking and making excuses. Although it is NOT all of us who are slacking if one slacks off then it brings down the whole group, you know? Below is a "Come to Jesus Talk" type of email from our OBC staff. Last Monday I didn't go to camp because we had an official day off. Last Tuesday I didn't go to camp because I was still extremely sore from the 1/2 marathon race I ran last Sunday. Whew. Last week was definitely a rough week. I will say that this email was great in helping me set SMART goals for the future. Want to know what I mean? Read on and find out...

Best,

Mo--FFF Diva Indeed 

Hey guys,

This morning was a rude awakening for some of you! I don't know what happened with it, but it made me do some soul searching!! A couple of announcements for today...

First: We will be CHANGING the day off from Monday in week 4 to WEDNESDAY in Week 4, please make a note of it. We WILL HAVE CLASS MONDAY of WEEK 4, but NOT WEDNESDAY.

Secondly, I wanted to talk about getting your MIND RIGHT. When we come to camp, we MUST find a way to get out heads on straight, and get our game faces on. When you are at work, and you are about to go into a meeting with the owner of the company regarding a possible promotion or termination, you don't go in with all the baggage of what's going on at home, who's winning the game, what homework you still have to do, or hoping that your kids are doing good in school. 

NO. 

You come in like Babe Ruth coming to the plate, game face is on, eyes are on the target, ready to knock it out of the park! If you don't, you may lose your job... you can NOT chance thinking about anything else nor giving a half effort into a meeting like that!

If you haven't already guessed, I'm not talking about how to do better at work... I'm talking about something MUCH more important. 

I'm talking about your life.

Not just at boot camp, but at home, while your at work, when you are at a social gathering with your friends. You NEED to have your game face on. If you read my email yesterday, I mentioned that you MODEL the abstract habits in life for your kids and loved ones: discipline, determination, hard work, love, and of course, HEALTH. People around you KNOW you are involved in a boot camp... how will you use the tools that we provide you? Are you showing your family what hard work is all about? Are you flexing your discipline muscle? Are you being that inspiration to people who are THINKING about changing their lives around!? 

I'm asking you guys to put on your game faces, on and OFF the court. Do you understand that EVERYTHING in life effects the way you look and feel? One of the most important things about boot camp is that not only do we try our hardest to kill ya every morning (disclaimer: we do it cuz we care;)) but we want to see you succeed in life OUTSIDE of camp as well. This includes the willingness to do homework, the motivation to do the things you DON'T want to do when not at camp, and setting the example for people around you! We are providing the roadmap to healthy living and the fitness lifestyle, but YOU NEED TO WALK IT!!

There is NO such thing as people taking the magic pill to lose weight and have an incredible workout ethic! Wanna lose weight fast, well I hear gastric bypass is great! anyone ever see someone who's done that??? No thanks. This IS the real magic pill... THIS IS THE ROADMAP. 

How many of you have heard a story about someone losing an incredible amount of weight, getting addicted to the fitness drug, and leading healthy lives living till their like 500 yrs old? Well, maybe not 500, but you know... ALL the biggest loser winners, all the Jarrods from Subway... I have the secret that had made every one of those success stories possible. Each and EVERY single person did this in order to make the change they did. Wanna know what it is?

They made a decision. They were sick n tired of being sick n tired. They got their heads on right. They got on a program and they stuck it out, giving it their ALL every frickin time! They endured the pain, they said NO to the cake, they drove past the drive thrus, they worked hard and they worked SMART. Thats what this is all about... getting your head right and being SMART about your lives. I know we have given you the SMART acronym for your goals, but here's the S.M.A.R.T acronym to get your heads right and stay motivated and on point. 

This is the SMART skill set:

Set a clear, achievable goal - Set a realistic, specific, and measurable goal.  Not "I will eat healthier" but  "I will increase my vegetables, I will have two servings for lunch and two servings for dinner 5 - 7 days/wk"    Monitor your progress - Keep track of what you do (i.e. food log, exercise journal, pedometer, HR monitor)   Arrange your world for success - Create reminders for healthy eating around you.  Have your food log handy, keep trigger foods out of the house, take healthy snacks/meals to work or school.   Recruit a support team - Enlist the help of others.  Let those who want to  see you succeed know what you're trying to achieve.  Consider your family, friends, and colleagues as your potential support team..   Treat yourself - Reward yourself every time you do the eating or exercise behavior you have targeted.  Select a "treat" that is important to you, readily available, and not costly. DO NOT REWARD YOURSELF WITH FOOD!!! "Success is not a destination, it is a journey" Work through the burn n I'll see you at the top... Committed to your success,

The Boot Camp Staff

FFF Diva Reflection: A Letter About Running from My Trainer

Hey Guys,

Yesterday I went out and ran the Rock n Roll marathon along with Lisa, Jill, Rich (Jill's husband) and Maureen and Leilani (her sister). These guys kicked BUTT out there!! Next time you see them, give em a big congrats!

As I was running along, I gone off on a day dream.. I was thinking about how much of a mental game that running and exercising can really be.

Whether or not you are going through a sprint for 2 straight minutes, or you are running for 2 hours (like everyone downtown yesterday) your mind plays a crucial role in determining your success and your satisfaction. As soon as my mind began to drift off in the wrong side of the road (negative and defeating self-talk), I focused harder on my new goal and focused on my breathing rhythm and WENT AFTER IT. I was close, VERY close, on several occasions, of breaking my conviction of getting under a 2 hour race time. Sometimes, yes, your body physically can NOT push beyond certain thresholds... but the mind plays a role in that as well. As you get comfortable being UNCOMFORTABLE (and it takes practice..) you will be able to surprise even yourself.

Many of you experience this through your workouts. At the end of the day, if someone were tallying the amount of pushups, squats, situps, jumps, and distance of running that you did, I'm sure most of you would not think that you'd be able to do it. Hell, 13.1 miles STILL seems like a daunting task to me even now... and I've ran it twice!

Point being is this... embrace the uncomfortableness. Once you learn how to break the threshold of not having to stop, you will feel the massive endorphin rush you get from being able to discipline yourself to "just keep going". This is inherent to the way we live our lives... as we make the conviction to do something and we don't do it, we slowly start creating a self-limiting belief that becomes ingrained in our psyche. However, if we replace the self-limiting beliefs with empowering self-talk and encouragement, we can use those mental 'tricks' to get us to break through the thresholds that hold us down. Then, we surprise ourselves. The "I CAN do it" talk starts to surface... the empowerment and positive self talk starts to take over. And the other thing is your discipline... as you work towards a goal... ANY goal - you flex that discipline "muscle", which will grow and develop just like muscles do, but its in the head. So commonly, when you begin to get in shape, and start to create the reality of "being in the best shape of my life" - there's a massive ripple effect that will transform every facet of your life. People may not even know who this "new, sexy young YOU" is that begins to surface!

That should be our end game.

Not only the best shape of our lives... but have an overall better quality of life. The have the belief that you CAN have and DESERVE more, and more importantly, you have the conviction, the work ethic, and the mental discipline necessary to make dreams a reality. This is not something that you can ever TEACH your kids, peers, or clients, but rather, it is something you model for them. You can SHOW them that even though the going is getting tough, as life does for all of us, we power through it and get to our goals. I wish everyone could have the endorphin kick that I have right now.. I set myself a goal of under 2 hrs, I got to it, and now, I feel like I can take on the world! I'm actively looking for the next challenging thing to do, whether it be workouts or just work, that is something I may drag my feet about, but I will get it done...

SET S.M.A.R.T goals for yourself. Have the conviction to get to it. We are all here to help, and help each other when you see a peer going through the struggles you went through last week or last year. Together, we all do better as a team. For those of you who ran the half marathon, and for those of you who did homework that I HOPE kicked your butt this weekend, here's a good article on recovery and pain...

Enjoy;) I'll see you all tomorrow bright n early!

ROCK ON!!!

7 Tips on Dealing with Exercise-Induced Pain
By Steve Edwards

I often get complaints from clients about being sore. Statements like "I thought exercise was going to make me feel good, but now I feel worse than ever" are somewhat common with people who are new to exercising. And there's not too much for me to tell them. The fact is that if we have any desire on changing our body for the better, we are going to spend some time being sore. It's inevitable. Fact of life: there is some pain associated with the ultimate pleasure of being fit.

But that doesn't mean you have to take it sitting down! If you anticipate, plan, and take the proper steps, you can minimize your soreness.

Whenever you do something physical that you're not used to, you get sore. What this means is that most of you reading this are going to get sore—maybe really, really sore—along your road to fitness.

But I can help, because I've been through every level of soreness possible, from the "ahhh, I'm starting a new program" feeling to "@#&!, I can't walk" misery. Here are seven ways to mimic the former statement, and avoid the latter.

	Embrace the pain. This idea is going to be foreign to many of you but eventually you're going to learn that a little soreness means you've embarked on something that is good for you. The first time, however, you're going to have to show a little faith. Whenever I switch up my training, I go through an initial period of soreness (like today). While it's always bothersome, say, when it hurts to take off my shoes, I know that it's only temporary and that it's an important step along the road to my goal. So I embrace it. Sure, it hurts. But it hurts in a good way. A great way even. I love the beginning of a new training cycle because I know that once I work through the pain I'm going to be fitter than before. In fact, when I haven't had a period of soreness in a while, I start to feel like a slacker.
	Anticipate. Remember that I said I knew I was going to get sore? You are too! So don't go full out on your first day. It's normal to get excited on day 1. You've got a new package in the mail and visions of you walking down the beach turning heads are probably dancing in your head. This is great, but keep your wits about you. You're not going to get that way tomorrow or the next day. Hammering through your first workout could end up delaying your program two weeks while you recover from your exuberance. You'll get sore anyway. Next day, push a bit harder. Next day, a bit harder still.
	Eat well. The more you exercise, the better you need to eat. Junk won't fuel your muscles properly. This is especially true if you are trying to lose weight because you are eating less than you need to sustain your body. So what you eat becomes vital. The better you eat, the less sore you'll become. Try to exercise on an empty stomach and then eat a small snack about an hour after finishing your workout. This will greatly help the recovery process and reduce soreness.
	Stretch. After you work out. The more time you can spend doing extra stretching at the end of your workout the better you'll recover. Don't stretch your muscles when cold, as you'll risk injuring them further. An extra 10 minutes after you work out, however, can do wonders. Also, easy movements and stretches both at night before bed and first thing in the morning helps your blood circulate better and will also improve your recovery time.
	Massage. You don't have to go to a masseuse; self-massage is a great tool to aid recovery. The only time you don't want to massage your muscles is right after you work out because you will interfere with the natural recovery process. But at any other time, just five minutes of self-massage can do wonders. Foam rolling is an awesome tool to help in this process.
	Ice. More on the circulation theme—nothing moves blood around like ice. If you've ever watched a locker interview after a sporting event, you probably noticed that a lot of the athletes were icing parts of their body. That's because it's one of the greatest recovery aids we have. Almost all injuries heal more quickly if we apply ice. And soreness is "microtrauma," or slight tears in your muscle tissue. These are necessary in order to get stronger, and they will heal faster if you ice them. You can ice any sore body part up to 20 minutes at a time, a few times throughout the day (if you can stand it). Smaller body parts - like joints and fingers don't need to be iced as long, maybe 10 minutes at a time.
	Work out. Often the last thing you feel like doing when you're sore but it gets back to the circulation thing. Working out promotes circulation. Sitting around while you're sore is worse than working out, even though you probably feel like exercise is the last thing you should do. What you should do is not work out too hard. It's a good excuse to be slightly lazy, since you are doing what's called a "recovery workout," which is aimed at not breaking down too much muscle tissue. However, if your legs are sore, you don't have to go easy on your upper body, and vice versa. Have a great day everyone!!

Ronny Varghese
Director of Operations
Operation Boot Camp - San Jose
1-888-7-FIT NOW (734-8669)
Ronny.Varghese@operationbootcamp.com
OperationBootCamp.com

FFF Diva Goal: Running the LA Marathon on March 21, 2010

To celebrate my 25th birthday I have decided to run the Los Angeles Marathon (26.2 miles) on March 21, 2010 (which is my ACTUAL birthday). The above video is the actual course I will be running with my sister Leilani and friend Chad. This Sunday I will be running my first 1/2 marathon in downtown San Jose (San Jose Rock n' Roll). This race will be helpful to see what training for a full marathon will look like. Wish me luck!

FFF Diva Activity: Running the 5K Bubba Gump Race at Great America, 09.20.09

Bubba Gump himself giving away chocolates to all of the runners and their families! I didn't partake because it would slow my running down!

My friend Megan ran the race with me! She completed the race in about 35 minutes. I completed the race in about 42 minutes.

The race started at 8:05am at the amusement park Great America!

I ran representing Operation Boot Camp! Gotta represent!

The Race Details

Join 1000+ Runners and Walkers at Great America for this 7h annual truly unique 5K Fun Run and Walk inside of No. California's most thrilling Family Park. Run alongside Forrest Gump himself and past all of your favorite characters and attractions, and into lunch from Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. at the finish. All to benefit the United Way of Silicon Valley. Parking and admission to Great America after the race are free!

About the Charity-United Way of Silicon Valley

United Way Silicon Valley is in the business of creating meaningful and tangible change in Silicon Valley. We have identified the critical issues facing people in our community and we are taking action by bringing together individuals, groups, ideas and resources to find real, lasting solutions. That's change. That's what matters.

And how they help!

Established in 1922, United Way Silicon Valley is an independent local affiliate of United Way of America. We are a nonprofit charitable organization, governed by a volunteer Board of Directors made up of local community and business leaders. Our mission is to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of the community. For more information about United Way Silicon Valley, visit www.uwsv.org.

FFF Diva Accomplishment: National Prevention Network Conference

The photos above: 1) NPN Conference Booklet 2) NPN Plenary Description 3) My colleague Lance and myself right before the plenary.

The National Prevention Network (NPN) invites you to our 22nd Annual Prevention Research Conference, September 15-18, 2009 in Anaheim, California. The theme for this year’s conference is “Prevention Research: Striking Gold.”

We encourage you to make your plans now to attend. You will gain knowledge from nationally recognized researchers and practitioners who are using research to strike gold with successful outcomes for prevention programming. You will also have the opportunity to network with leaders from the federal agencies supporting prevention, including Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration / Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Office of National Drug Control Policy, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and U.S. Department of Education, as well as prevention professionals from around the country.

In this challenging economic climate, we know you are mindful of getting the best return on your training dollars and that travel approvals are being scrutinized. We trust that when you review the conference session descriptions on this website, you will find the added justification you will need to describe this conference as the single best training opportunity to increase your prevention workforce skills and knowledge in substance abuse prevention research. Additionally, all courses and workshops provide contact hours and Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credit through the Southwest Prevention Center (SWPC), a department within University OUTREACH, College of Continuing Education at the University of Oklahoma. SWPC Continuing Education hours are accepted for CEU's by the following certifying bodies: National Board of Certified Counselors, Oklahoma Drug & Alcohol Professional Counselors Association, and Texas Certification Board of Addiction Professionals.

We are excited about this year’s conference. It has a wide range of substantive topics and levels of expertise. There will be three keynote addresses to expand your vision and inspire your service. There will be presentations on Underage Drinking, Prescription Drugs, Social Marketing, Public Policy, Frontier/Rural, Cultural/Ethnicity, and Alcohol Industry Advertising. This year there is a dedicated emphasis on ensuring culturally competent and relevant services which is woven throughout the conference and which all presenters are expected to integrate into their workshops. For the second year there will be international presenters supported by the state department.

FFF Diva Accomplishment: National Prevention Network 2009, Anaheim, California

I have never felt so good as a young professional. Long story short is that our CEO and founder Maureen requested the presence of a young experts panel in the field of prevention. This conference had over 1,900 prevention specialists and researchers from around the world. During Maureen's AM plenary speech she incorporated the young experts panel, which I was a part of. After our presentation we received a standing ovation, and on a personal note I was praised for my ability to speak and capture the true nature of our prevention work and the important role of young people in the process. Bottom line: I am being groomed to become a future key note speaker for future conference opportunities. What an honor! I still have goosebumps.

"Just wanted to extend a huge THANK YOU for participating in the expert panel and NPN this week highlighting the amazing work you have done, lead and inspire others to do not only in your own communities, FNL and in California, but now throughout the nation. Thank you for your prep time, thoughtful preparation and quick adaptation to the shortened time. Congratulations!" --YLI colleague

The little things...

The little things. Man I miss the little things such as a diverse food diet, but I will explain more about that next blog. Let's just say I am suffering from "low caloric intake" as my youth intern says at our office. Every time he notices I am a little out of it he offers me water, a bar, or a shake---sometimes all three. However like I stated before, I will detail it out next round.

I hope everyone had a fabulous Labor Day Weekend! I know I did while I was in Las Vegas for a family reunion I strayed away as much as I could from the two sinful things: alcohol & buffets. I think I did pretty well AND got a lot of dancing done! Pictures soon to follow in an upcoming blog. : )

To close---for inspiration, since I can't eat regulary for awhile, I would like to share an email I received from my Operation Boot Camp staff this morning:

Greetings Everyone,

Todays Mission: Go on YouTube and do a search on ways to "rehab" or "stretch" the muscle group / area of your body that is sore or achy. Learn to troubleshoot your body! Whether it be shin splints, calf tightness, knee pain, shoulder pain, or something else- use YouTube as a resource!! ;)

Did you know it is the little changes you make that make the most difference in your eating habits and in your life? Little things, like 2% milk in coffee rather than cream or Splenda instead of sugar. It is the small things that add up to be big numbers at the end of the day.

Let’s put this into perspective, shall we?

The USDA recommends 65 grams of fat per day. 65 grams is quite low if you think about it. Some meals we eat sometimes have 65 grams of fat in them alone. Which means if you have one meal that has contains 65 grams of fat you will have to eat light for the rest of the day or only eat that one meal which we do not recommend.

The little things add up, so if you begin to change the little things, they will add up to big gains in the long run.

Let's take a glance on how fat adds up.

Part of your daily intake might include the following foods:

(2) Cups of Coffee with Cream (cream has 3 grams per oz) = 6 grams

(1) Sandwich with (1) Slice of cheese (American Cheese, 1 slice) = 8 grams

(1) Same Sandwich with mayonnaise (2 tablespoons) = 8 grams

(1) Roll with (1) pat of butter = 4 grams

(1) Salad with Caesar dressing (2 tablespoons of dressing) = 16 grams

Just adding up the small things (not even the meat on the sandwich or the contents of the salad) you have 42 grams of fat that could easily be reduced. Remember you are only recommended to have 65 per day, so you could be already more than half way there with 2 cups of coffee, a sandwich, a salad and a dinner roll.

My suggestions:

(1) cup of coffee with 2% milk = 2 grams

(1) Sandwich with no cheese and mustard = 0 grams from cheese or mayo

(1) Roll no butter, maybe a little olive oil = 0 grams from butter

(1) Salad with Vinaigrette dressing = 4 grams from the dressing

With substitutions you are at 6 grams with the coffee, the sandwich, the roll and the salad. I would say you are doing pretty well without having to alter every meal you eat - you just have to change the little things to see a big difference. Skimping on the small things means you do not have to give up the big things! You can also do this exercise with carbs and protein to make sure you are getting the correct amounts. Choosing good fats also makes a huge difference. For instance, the fat in an avocado is much better source of unsaturated fat than the saturated fat in french fries!

Keep this in mind the next time you are ordering or making food. Eating habits have to change subtly in order for you to stick to them. If you make drastic changes and cut out all the things you like, you will hate that you cannot have this or that and will return to the same eating habits you have always been accustomed to. This is called “fad dieting” and we want you to eat for life, not for the moment.

Go forth in good food choices.

The Boot Camp Staff

--
Ronny Varghese
Director of Operations
Operation Boot Camp - San Jose
1-888-7-FIT NOW (734-8669)
Ronny.Varghese@operationbootcamp.com
OperationBootCamp.com

FFF Diva Activity: Running the San Francisco Plate to Plate 5K Race at AT&T Park (8.31.09)

This photo is directly on the field of AT&T Park. The MOST EXCITING part of this race is the fact you run around the bases and jump onto homeplate! It was very exciting and thrilling to be running on the field with the spongy grass underneath my feet and running my fingers along the padded walls surrounding the field.
FFF Diva Activity: I wore my OPERATION BOOT CAMP shirt to represent! Last time I ran a 5K race was in May 2009 for the Marin Human Race. During that race I ran it in about 52 minutes. For the San Francisco Plate to Plate I ran it in about 42 minutes! PROGRESS! P.S. GOOOO GIANTS!

I am honestly surprised at how well I did for this race. We started at McCovey Cove, ran across Lefty O'Toole's Bridge, down Embarcadero, did a u-turn up Embarcadero, ran into AT&T Park, ran around ALL OF THE BASES, and landed on homeplate.

The month of August was my best month of morning cardio boot camp. Special thanks to the OPERATION BOOT CAMP staff and campers. At the beginning of the month I ran my personal mile at 14 minutes and 30 seconds. After 30 days I ran it again at 13 minutes and 26 seconds. For the end of September camp I will get it under 13 minutes! Watch me. I attended ALL days of camp last month accept for when I went to Washington D.C. for work for a week & when I trained an international delegation for the U.S. Department of State in San Francisco---work related of course. I am so stoked for my improvements this month!

Interested in joining me or learning more? Go to: http://www.operationbootcamp.com/