1. Ron Ross - $500 Cash
2. Jonathon Maiorana - 6 month membership to Anytime Fitness
3. Freddie Esquilin - 1 month bootcamp membership to Fitness Edge

Women’s Division

1. Gretchen Bozak - $500 Cash
2. Haley Delzani - 6 month membership to Anytime Fitness
3. Laurie Campbell - 1 month bootcamp membership to Fitness Edge

There were a total of 85 participants in this year’s competition and winners were picked based on “percentage” of weight lost. Check out the before and after pics from this year’s winners:

Congratulations to all of our winners, and to everyone who participated in the West Park Six Pack Challenge!

If you are interested in getting results like these from your workouts, check out our popular bootcamp program! Classes are filling up, but we are still taking registrations. If you have any questions please call Marty at 216-373-7654.

1. Almonds: high in protein, good for building muscle and fighting off cravings and hunger
2. Black Beans: great for burning fat, regulating digestion, and an excellent source of protein, fiber, and iron.
3. Spinach: rich in magnesium and vitamin A, C, E and K. Besides fighting obesity, spinach helps protect against heart disease, stroke, and colon cancer.
4. Blueberries: full of antioxidants and great source of soluble fiber which helps you feel full.
5. Oatmeal: low in fat, good source of fiber. Oatmeal is also low in sodium and cholesterol.
6. Eggs: packed full of protein, iron and vitamins A, D, E, and B12. Eggs help promote the loss of body fat and stabilize blood sugar levels.
7. Sweet Potatoes: high in fiber, complex carbohydrates, protein and vitamins. When eaten with the skin, sweet potatoes have more fiber than oatmeal!
8. Peanut Butter: packed with protein and heart healthy fats,  peanut butter helps build muscle while burning fat. It is high in calories though, so watch your intake!
9. Extra Virgin Olive Oil: helps burn fat while keeping your cholesterol in check.  Substitute salad dressing with a tablespoon or 2 of extra virgin olive oil.
10. Lean Turkey: helps build muscle and boosts your immune system. An excellent choice for boosting your metabolism and speeding up your body’s ability release fat! 
    
11. Whey Protein: helps build muscle and burn fat. Add to your favorite post workout smoothie to accelerate your fat loss.    
    
12. Low Fat Yogurt: great for strengthening your bones, providing ‘good bacteria’ in your digestive system, and helps to speed up fat burning.

Eat supportively at each meal by combining a lean protein, a starchy carbohydrate, and fibrous carbohydrate for maximum fat loss!

“A goal that is casually set and lightly taken will be freely abandoned at the first obstacle.”
-Zig Ziglar

The new year is here! Let’s talk turkey, (no pun intended ) We all know that every year you or someone you know tells you “this is the year, THIS TIME I’m gonna lose weight..for real!” The scenario is the same, people sign up for gym memberships, go once or twice, maybe lose a couple pounds, but by February-March there is no sign of the passion and drive that was there in January, and they quit going to the gym and stop working out. Why is that? Chances are that they did not set what is known as a “S.M.A.R.T.” goal. Here’s what that means:

The S stands for specific. A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. How do you know if your goal is specific enough? it should answer the six “W” questions:

*Who:      Who is involved?
*What:     What do I want to accomplish?
*Where:    Identify a location.
*When:     Establish a time frame.
*Which:    Identify requirements and constraints.
*Why:      Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.

The M stands for measurable. How will you know when you’ve reached your goal? When you’ve lost ‘x’ number of lbs, or fit in a particular size jean? Be specific and establish what will dictate that you have indeed reached your goal! When you measure your progress, you are more likely to stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of the wonderful “unsolicited compliment” from friends and family! You’ll be amazed how inspired you become when you first hear “have you lost weight?”, or “have you been working out- you look great!”  Those 4-8 little words pack quite a punch of motivation and will spur you on to continued efforts required to reach your goal!

The A stands for attainable.  When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals.

The R stands for realistic. What’s realistic? A goal that represents an objective that you are both willing and able to work toward. Don’t overwhelm yourself with a goal that seems too daunting at first. For instance, if you need to lose 50lbs and that just seems absolutely impossible to you, break that big goal into 5 smaller goals of 10 lb increments. Remember that saying…”the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step!”

The T stands for timely. your goal should come with a deadline. Without a deadline there is no sense of urgency and your goal more than likely will not be reached. If you want to lose 10lbs, when do you want to lose it by? Set a date, devise your plan, and work toward it!

So let’s hear it folks. What’s your “SMART” fitness goal for 2009? Please post your answers down below and let’s start talking!

If you’re tired of doing regular old push ups, try raising the bar
on this classic bodyweight exercise by incorporating a BOSU trainer.
If you dont have a BOSU at your gym you can pick one up at your local
sporting good sore. They run about $100, but they last forever.
(Ive had a few of mine for almost 10 years now).  Here’s the rule of
thumb to go by: The further away your leg and foot goes from your body,
the more challenging the push up becomes. You’ll see… Beginning
and advanced progressions are demonstrated.

If you have any questions, feel free to call us at 216-373-7654, or email us!