personal training

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – From the Vault: Our Very First Fitness Podcast

We take the Addicted to Fitness DeLorean all the way back to the very first podcast I every produced almost two years ago. The podcast was known as the ETT Wrap Show in those days and in this week’s throwback episode my cohost at the time, Tyler Knox, and I describe what we would be “rapping” about on a weekly basis.

You will hear how the development our current format of recapping our previous week’s training and debating pertinent health topics. You will also get to hear about the evolution of ETT from weekend bootcamp outfit to concierge personal training business. It’s amazing to see how much ETT and the podcast has grown in just two years.

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One of the topics discussed on this old school episode is how I developed my approach to fitness. I encourage you to go back and check out the very first post on elementaltampa.com to hear all the details, but the short version starts at Amir’s Academy of Martial Arts. Upon graduating from college, my physical & mental health began to wane due to lack of activity and motivation. I finally got fed up with the way I looked & felt and walked into Amir’s. That’s where I regained my fitness and learned that helping others recapture their fitness was my passion.

We also debated the news article involving the World Health Organization’s (WHO) listing of red meat & processed meats as possible carcinogens. It should be noted that even the WHO mentions that their listing, especially for red meat, is based on limited evidence. However, that didn’t stop news outlets & plant-based diet promoters from shouting their listing from the roof tops. I believe Chris Kresser does a great job explaining how weak the link between red meat and cancer in this article on his site. I recommend you read it and make your own conclusion.

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After the red meat discussion, we touch on more dietary recommendations including my own. I mention that due to my own personal experience and through the nutrition research I’ve gathered, a low-carb approach to nutrition is the best way to lose weight/keep weight off. If you reduce that amount of sugar and grain products you consume you can reduce the production of insulin and other digestive hormones that play a large part in helping you maintain a healthy weight.

The final topic of our very first podcast is one that Shannon and I recently talked about in our 2018 Biggest Health Trend Predictions episode, which is the importance of dietary fat. This marks the start of my dedication to being “fat fueled” and ultimately led to Tyler and I taste testing bulletproof coffee in a later ETT Wrap show, which was one of our past “from the vault” episode, if that makes sense.

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Speaking of coffee, please check out our great sponsors, The Hemp & Coffee Exchange. Visit hempcoffeeexchange.com to learn about their awesome products and WHEN you buy some of their coffee, use the code “ATF” to get 20% off your purchase.

If you haven’t done so already please give us a rating and review in iTunes and/or on the Addicted to Fitness Podcast Facebook page. Thanks in advance and stay healthy this week peeps!

Links to this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/addicted-to-fitness-podcast/id1121420986?mt=2

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nick-burch-702220833/from-the-vault-our-very-first

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/from-the-vault-our-very-first-fitness-podcast

 

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – Addicted to Fitness 2017: A Year in Review

Another year in the books!

For our final episode of 2017, we’re recapping some of our favorite episodes. It was harder than you might think, with more than 40 episodes logged over the year, including taste tests, interviews, reviews and personal updates. But, no worries! We are sharing our top six episodes with ya!

Before we get into the recap though, we give a quick reminder that Nick and Tampa Strength are launching Tampa Fit Moms in January. If you’re a local, you can sign up to get your year of fitness on the right track.

Now, let’s get on with the show!

Whether you’re new to the podcast or a seasoned listener, these are some episodes worth going back and giving a/another listen to.

  1. Cryotherapy (1/9) – One of the coolest experiences! It seems intimidating at first, but we took a group of people to try a cryotherapy experience with fun results. Then we dive into the benefits of this increasingly popular therapy.
  2. The Hemp Coffee Interview (2/20) – Nick and I interview the founders of The Hemp Exchange, do a taste test, and learn all about the incredible health benefits of hemp coffee.
  3. Crutch Foods (3/27) – We continue to reference this episode due to the importance of knowing our crutch foods so that we don’t get stuck in a dietary rut.

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4. Fat & Coffee Taste Test (4/10) – Because we’re such coffee lovers, we had to explore the various fats that can be added to coffee and find out which were our favorites.

5. Mothers Know Best & We’re having a baby! (5/27) – Our largest personal unveiling on the podcast, when we announced our pregnancy.

6. 1776 Marcos Game (7/3) – We test each others’ nutritional knowledge of foods, but with a fun twist, by looking at foods from 1776 (the year of our country’s independence).

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These are our favorites from the year, but let us know what yours are! Head over to our Facebook page for some exclusive content and to share your 2017 highlights.

Hope you had a great year and we look forward to spending 2018 with you!

Links to this week’s episode

iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/addicted-to-fitness-2017-a-year-in-review/id1121420986?i=1000398314746&mt=2

Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/nick-burch-702220833/addicted-to-fitness-2017-a

Website – http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/addicted-to-fitness-2017-a-year-in-review

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – Protein Powder & Protein Water Taste Test

This was the Addicted to Fitness episode that you were suppose to hear before Irma rolled through our neck of the woods. Sorry it took a few weeks longer to deliver it to you all, but we’re very grateful that we even get the opportunity to share it at all. Many areas affected by Irma are still recovering and I encourage everyone to continue supporting the relief effort by donating to credible organizations like the American Red Cross (link) and Save the Children (link).

Now that the über important stuff is out of the way, we can jump into this week’s protein filled episode. Shannon kicks it off recapping her recent training, which is limited to walking and yoga because, according to her, she’s “big time pregnant.” Both those forms of exercise are conducive to her current condition but she’s also doing a ton of yoga because she’s coming to the end of her yoga teacher training program.

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In the final months of her program, Shannon has taken, assisted and even led several yoga classes. She comments on how much she’s learned in this program and how she’s developed a love & appreciation for prenatal yoga. Shannon was exposed to numerous yoga disciplines that few people know about and she’s eager to share information about these mostly unknown forms. Stay tuned for a deep dive into lesser known yoga disciplines on a future ATF podcast.

My training recap isn’t nearly as eventful. I’m still making it to my weekly jiu-jitsu class and doing strength training at Tampa Strength (link), but what I’m really excited about is the addition of Title Boxing Club (link) classes to my personal training schedule. The group dynamics of the Title classes are a pleasant departure from the 1-on-1 or semi-private training I provide.

After our training recaps, Shannon and I discuss the non-perishable food items we purchased for our hurricane preparedness kit. We wanted to make sure we had food that was essentially ready to eat but also very nutrient dense. We both knew that items high in protein & fat would keep us fuller, longer than items made primarily of refined sugar and grains. You’ll have to listen to find out whether or not the food items we purchased matched the hurricane checklist from Delish.com (link).

After our training recap and hurricane food review we FINALLY get into the taste test of two newfangled protein products. Shannon begins by giving her review of thinkThin single serve protein powder packets. She tried the strawberry raspberry flavor and commented on how much fruit flavor it possessed, which wasn’t surprising since the second most abundant ingredient according to the packet was dried fruit. The entire packet provided 15 grams (g) of animal & plant-based protein, 5 g of fiber and a whole serving of fruit. Shannon commented that it didn’t have any gritty texture or bad after taste and she looks forward to trying the other flavors. Check out the thinkThin website (link) for more nutritional info & ingredients.

My protein product was an item I’d been itching to try for sometime. Protein Water is produced in the Tampa Bay Area and I’ve been hearing a lot about it on local radio. I finally picked up a few bottles and saved one specifically to share on the podcast with you all. The protein filled water contains 15 g of animal based protein and numerous forms of electrolytes. It also contains 100% of our recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin D & vitamin B6 and 1250% of our RDA of vitamin B12. It not only provides protein & energy but it is also hydrating, which isn’t always the case when it comes to pre-made protein drinks. Check out the Protein Water website (link) for more nutritional info & ingredients.

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We’re always looking for products to try on a future podcast. Please feel free to send your ideas for future taste tests to elementaltampa@gmail.com or connect with us on social media (FacebookInstagram or Twitter).

Also, we’d really appreciate it if you gave us a rating and review in iTunes (link) or on our new Addicted to Fitness Facebook page (link). Don’t forget to get enough protein in your diet and stay healthy this week peeps!

Links to this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/addicted-to-fitness-podcast/id1121420986?mt=2#episodeGuid=776d7f9661d18bc98a0d9ee4fb846a5f

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/nick-burch-702220833/protein-powder-protein-water

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/protein-powder-protein-water-taste-test

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – Fight Breakdown of Mayweather-McGregor & Polichemi-Gramatica

I go solo on this week’s Addicted to Fitness, but don’t worry. Shannon’s cohost position is not in jeopardy.

For those of you that don’t know, Shannon is well into her 3rd trimester with our first child. In addition to that, she’s still working full time and is only a few weeks away from completing her yoga teacher training. If you’ve ever been pregnant, or the significant other of someone who is pregnant, you know that R & R is paramount. That’s why I decided to take the podcasting responsibilities upon myself this week.

I love Shannon being my cohost and I know you listeners do too, but a part of me was glad I was able to roll solo on this week’s podcast. Mainly because I commented on a pair of recent boxing events that I was looking forward to for some time. But before we get into my thoughts on those events, I dive into our training recap for the week.

As previously mentioned, Shannon is only a few weeks away from completing her Bella Prana yoga teacher training. If I haven’t said it before I’ll say it now, I’m super proud of her dedication to this program. I’m sure we’ll discuss her final exam a little more next week so make sure you tune in!

My training recap consists primarily of training with Elemental Training Tampa (ETT) clients. This past week was my busiest since I took ETT full time in March. I couldn’t be happier and I’m really appreciative of how committed all of my clients have been. One client in particular has been extremely devoted to his training program and he got to use that training in a recent celebrity boxing event.

Anthony “Spanish” Polichemi has been training with ETT for the past 5 weeks in preparation for a celebrity boxing match with former NFL pro Martin Gramatica. The match was the main event of the annual Mike Calta Punchout, which ETT has been fortunate enough to be involved in for the past 3 years. Even though Anthony was giving up approximately 5 inches and 20 lbs. to Martin, I was confident that after his training with ETT at Tampa Strength and Master Amir Ardebily (click here to listen to his ATF interview) at Amir Acadmey of Martial Arts, he’d be able to get his hand raised.

I sadly had to miss the event, but I listened to a round by round broadcast on the 102.5 the Bone mobile app. It sounded like Anthony was able to use his footwork and head movement to score early and often, but he ran into several power punches from his larger opponent. In the end, Anthony lost a decision, but I couldn’t be happier with the way he performed. I’m even more excited that he’s decided to continue his training with both ETT and Master Amir.

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Photo courtesy of bloodyelbow.com

I wasn’t nearly as emotionally invested in the other fight discussed on this week’s episode. Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor has been the number one topic in the world of sports for the past 10 weeks. All the hype finally came to fruition on August 26th and to many people’s surprise, Conor McGregor performed rather well, given the circumstances.

Floyd has been touted as one of the best technical boxers of all time, and his 49-0 professional record would support that claim. Conor has recently taken the MMA and combat sports world by storm with his ability to talk a big game and back it up when he gets in the ring. Even though this match was considered by some to be somewhat of a sideshow, mainly due to Conor’s lack of ANY professional boxing experience, I was still looking forward to seeing how both fighters would handle the uncertainty their opponent would present.

Much to the surprise of most people, Conor started the fight very well. He used his size and reach to keep Mayweather at bay and land scoring punches. It look to me that Conor had done enough to win the first 3 rounds, but I had a feeling that Mayweather was simply analyzing Conor’s technique and would soon begin to capitalize on his opponent’s lack of boxing experience.

The fight seem to turn in Mayweather’s favor starting in round 4. He was able to avoid Conor’s punches and started landing power shots of his own. By round 8, Conor’s cardio was spent and Floyd turned up the intensity of his attack. Halfway through round 10, Floyd got Conor against the ropes, landed numerous unanswered shots which forced the ref to stop the fight. Mayweather won by TKO and improved his professional boxing record to 50-0.

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The Mayweather-McGregor fight wasn’t a great example of superb technical boxing, but it was entertaining none the less. Not NEARLY as entertaining as the Polichemi-Gramatica fight, especially for yours truly. Click here if you like to see a video of the entire match between Anthony and Martin. Follow Anthony on social media (@spanishep) and watch as he continues his fitness journey with ETT.

You should also follow us on our social channels (FacebookInstagram or Twitter). Please reach out to us on social or send us an email at elementaltampa@gmail.com, and let us know who you think of ATF. We love hearing from our listeners and I promise all you Shannon fans that she will be back next week. Thanks for listening and stay healthy this week peeps!

Links to this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/addicted-to-fitness-podcast/id1121420986?mt=2#episodeGuid=bad843c8f61aa163342caa25cc7bb458

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nick-burch-702220833/fight-breakdown-of-mayweather

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/fight-breakdown-of-mayweather-mcgregor-polichemi-gramatica 

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – From the Vault: Protein Preferences

I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand. Not a worry in the world, cold beer in my hand. Life is good today. Life is good today

I imagine I’ll be humming along to this Zac Brown tune while you all listening to this week’s podcast. Shannon and I are off to Mexico for a friend’s wedding, but we don’t want to leave you loyal listeners without your weekly dose of health and fitness information. Which is why we reached into the ETT Wrap show vault for a throwback episode of the Addicted to Fitness podcast.

Shannon and I start off this classic episode discussing our weekly workouts, group training and ETT’s first team competition, the Mud Endeavor 5k. For those unfamiliar with the Mud Endeavor, its a great obstacle course race based out of West Central Florida. Having already ran this race, I highly recommend it and suggest anyone looking to challenge themselves, consider obstacle course racing. After all the mudrun talk, we get into the real “meat” of the episode.

The remainder of the podcast focuses on the wide variety of protein sources available to meateaters and non-meateaters. Shannon describes her experience as a vegan and lists off her go-to protein sources (legumes, nuts, seeds) along with what type of supplements she had to take in order to get all her essential nutrients (B12 & iron to name a few). We also read off a ton of our listeners favorite protein sources which include peanut butter, yogurt, eggs, cricket flour, red meat and many more. Reeling off our protein preferences leads to an interesting discussion about the importance of gut health, which we will definitely be talking more about in a future episode.

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We’ve got a lot of great podcasts lined up for you all, including next week’s episode which I believe is our best episode to date. You’ll definitely want to subscribe to the podcast if you haven’t done so already, and please rate, review and share Addicted to Fitness with anyone and everyone. Thanks again for all the support and stay healthy this week peeps!

Links to the Addicted to Fitness podcast

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/addicted-to-fitness-podcast/id1121420986?mt=2#episodeGuid=ff12ecccd3885916e7d604ce5fdecb63

Android: http://subscribeonandroid.com/addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/rss

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/from-the-vault-protein-preferences-for-vegans-meateaters

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – The Macros Game Returns!

I’m giving Shannon the week off from writing the show notes to ensure that she is in tip top shape for our trip to Mexico next weekend. Even though she’s taking a week off from the show notes, it doesn’t mean you won’t get to hear her on the this week’s Addicted to Fitness podcast.

We start this week’s episode with a recap of our past week of training. Even though Shannon was feeling a little under the weather, she was able to complete a couple short sessions on our beloved peloton cycle. After our training recap, Shannon discusses her upcoming yoga “immersion” weekend, which is part of her Bella Prana yoga teaching certification program. This certification process will provide Shannon with a whole new skill set and allow her to pursue one of her passions. Shannon discussing pursuing her passion was the perfect segue to my big announcement about Elemental Training Tampa (ETT).

If you’ve listened to the podcast before, I’m sure you’ve heard me mention that providing personal training through ETT is where my passion lies. However, I haven’t had the opportunity to make ETT my full time vocation, until now. I’m proud to announce that starting in March, ETT will be a full time health & fitness operation. We have been invited by the Tampa Strength Academy to operate our training system at their new location in South Tampa. When I started ETT back in 2014, I always wondered if I’d be able to go full time into fitness. Now that the opportunity has actually presented itself, I almost can’t believe it. I’ll be writing another post about the entire process of deciding to take ETT full time, but needless to say, I couldn’t be happier.  As if that announcement wasn’t enough, we’ve got a brand new edition of the MACROS GAME!

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For anyone that is unfamiliar with the Macros Game, it is a nutritional trivia game that requires contestants to guess the macronutrient (fat, protein or carbohydrate) when given its amount in grams contained in 1 serving of a specific food. It may sound complicated, but once you hear it in the episode, I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it. We’ve done holiday editions in the past, but this week we grab nutritional info from food items we picked up on a recent trip to the grocery store. We would love you all to play along at home and let us know if you have more nutrition knowledge than Shannon or I.

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When you all send your scores for this week’s Macros Game, we’d love it if you’d provide us any feedback on the podcast. Better yet, head to the iTunes store, and give us a rating and review. I say it every week because its true. Your feedback helps us create a better product. Thanks again for all the support and stay healthy this week peeps!

Links for this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/grocery-shopping-edition-macros/id1121420986?i=1000380846108&mt=2

Android: http://subscribeonandroid.com/addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/rss

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/grocery-shopping-edition-of-the-macros-game

 

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – 2016 Year in Review

Shannon here. I’m back!

The end of one year and the start of another prompts many traditions, including a look back at the year we’ve bid farewell to. 2016 was a pretty epic one for the podcast, being the inaugural year!

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We covered some great topics in the past year and picked out some special highlights for you in this week’s episode.

  • Interview Highlight – Vinnie Tortorich explaining the NSNG diet and how it could have a great impact on the country’s obesity epidemic.
  • Taste Test Highlight – Bone both review discussing the taste and benefits of this popular “new” food item.
  • Product Review Highlight – Peloton cycle review including an on-bike workout going through the features the bike has to offer.

Mostly, we want to thank all the listeners for your support which has helped keep us going through this first year and made Addicted to Fitness a 5-star rated podcast in the iTunes store. We are so appreciative for all your support. Don’t forget you can get in touch with us between podcasts and keep the feedback coming either on Facebook or by leaving a review in the iTunes store.

Thanks again for listening and Happy New Year!

Links to this week’s episode:

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/addicted-to-fitness-2016-year/id1121420986?i=1000379513408&mt=2

Android: http://subscribeonandroid.com/addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/rss

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/addicted-to-fitness-a-year-in-review

FU IIFYM

This week’s episode of the Addicted to Fitness podcast kicks off with a ton of exciting Elemental Training Tampa news. Shannon and I talk about a pair of diehard ETT personal training clients, the date for our next group training session and recent/future equipment purchases. You may not realize it but if you’re reading this you are a part of the ETT community. First off, THANK YOU and please feel free to check us out on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

 

In addition to our ETT updates, Shannon and I go in-depth on a crucial vitamin that most Americans are deficit in, Vitamin D. Known to most people as the “sunshine vitamin”, vitamin D plays a large part in variety of bodily functions including creating strong bones. Thanks to an infographic provided by the great Dr. Rhonda Patrick, Shannon and I let you know about the possible reasons behind the current deficiency statistic, the possible side effects of being deficit and what you can do to avoid this deficiency.

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Image courtesy of foundmyfitness.com

Last but certainly not least, we dive into the topic that spawned the title for this week’s podcast. I heard about the IIFYM (if it fits your macros) diet from friends of the show Vinnie Tortorich and Anna Vocino. They were discussing a Yahoo article that was singing the praises of a diet that lets you eat whatever you want as long as you stay within your prescribed daily macronutrient count. That’s right. IIFYM claims you can eat fast food and still lose weight. We debunk this calorie counting fad diet and give our opinion on the best approach to eating healthy.

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Image courtesy of memecrunch.com

Thanks to you listeners, the podcast recently surpassed 1000 total downloads. I know of other podcasts that would immediately shut down if they had an episode that got only 1000 downloads, but we’re excited about this milestone. Primarily because it means you’re listening and more importantly you’re sharing the podcast. You can’t imagine how much that means to us. We deeply appreciate your support. If you haven’t done so already, please leave us a rating and/or review on your preferred podcast app (an iTunes rating/review would be especially awesome). Thanks again and stay healthy this week peeps!

Links to this week’s podcast

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fu-iifym/id1121420986?i=1000375192544&mt=2

Android: http://subscribeonandroid.com/addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/rss

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/fu-iifym