podcast

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – 2nd Annual Girl Scout Cookie Challenge

I had so much fun last year, I had to do it again this year. That’s right. We’ve got another Girl Scout cookie challenge on this week’s Addicted to Fitness podcast. If you didn’t hear the first Girl Scout cookie challenge, I urge you to go back and listen to that episode (link). The ultimate goal of the challenge is to burn off the calories contained in the cookies as quickly as possible. Last year we used battle ropes and jump squats. This year we tried a different piece of exercise equipment.

I’ll admit to you guys now, we didn’t get actual Girl Scout cookies. However, Wal-mart makes some pretty damn good knockoffs. I woofed down 3 of the Tagalongs look alikes and then jumped onto our Peloton cycle (click here for more info on this awesome piece of machinery). I choose to go with spinning as my exercise choice because we discovered in a past episode of the podcast (link) that it burned a tremendous amount of calories in a short period of time. Shannon did a great job entertaining everyone with information about the cookies’ nutritional facts, her recent yoga training, and Wim Hof all while I sweat out 240 calories worth of sugary goodness.

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This year’s challenge was just as tough as last year’s

This is a fun challenge to do once in a while, but this is by no means a recommended way to exercise. I would never suggest that anyone eat RIGHT before working out, let alone eat COOKIES! Even though I worked off the calories associated with the cookies, that doesn’t mean there aren’t determintal health effects associated with eating nutrient poor items that are high in sugar. If you have a strong grasp on your fitness, and you can afford to have a sweet treat every so often, go for it. Just don’t buy a year’s supply of Girl Scout cookies when you see them set up in front of your grocery store.

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We are big fans of fun fitness challenges, and if you have any in mind, please feel free to email them to us at elementaltampa@gmail.com. We’d also love it if you gave us a rating & review in iTunes and please share the podcast with a friend. We want to help as many people as possible enhance their quality of life by improving their health & fitness. I believe that this podcast can do that, but only with your help. 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

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

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/the-2nd-annual-girls-scout-cookie-challenge

 

 

 

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – Exercise & Diet: When, what and why

Shannon and I have fallen into a pretty good rhythm of recording the podcast on weekends, which use to have a lot less obligations than our weekdays. However, the script has flipped on us recently, and it seems we’re more busier than ever on the weekends. Which is why this week’s episode was recorded late into the evening hours on a school night. With that said, I think working outside our comfort zone led to one of the most entertaining Addicted to Fitness episodes yet.

We kick off this week’s podcast discussing Shannon’s upcoming yoga teacher training weekend. Yep, it’s that time again. We quickly transition into my current personal training schedule at my new home gym, Tampa Strength (link). My first client at the new location is taking advantage of my early morning training sessions and I’m about to start an early morning running program for a longtime ETT client. Discussing these morning training sessions segue nicely into the first main topic of this week’s episode: morning exercise.

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Click here to learn how you can train with ETT

Both Shannon and I prefer morning workouts. We both feel that completing a workout first thing in the morning sets you up for success for the rest of your day.  Shannon also believes that morning exercise helps you make better dietary choices throughout the day. Which is an interesting assumption because according to a recent Shape.com article discussing the benefits of morning exercise, she’s right. The article (link) uses research published in peer reviewed journals and other credible sources to explain how morning exercise can help you lower your blood pressure, get better sleep, burn more fat, and prevent chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes. The next topic we broach in this episode offers some of the same benefits as morning exercise, but it has more to do with what you eat. Actually, it has more to do with when you eat.

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Photo courtesy of Terry Crews’ Facebook page

This week, my buddy Dan Greene, who happens to be owner of TUFMED, posted a video of the actor Terry Crews explaining his approach to nutrition. In the video (link), Crews explains that he uses intermittent fasting to help his body function optimally. He states that during his 16 hour daily fasting period, his body is undergoing autophagy, which is essentially your body recycling old and possibly damaging cells. Seeing this video was extremely coincidential because I’ve also been trying intermittent fasting as of late and have really had some positive results. Most obvious to me is that I’m not nearly as hungry as often and I don’t feel the need to indulge in not so healthy food items. Those “not so healthy” food items is what we dive into next, and this topic brings on a rant from me in which I call out one of the most powerful people in all media.

When I talk about “not so healthy” food items, I’m really talking about pro-inflammatory foods. Inflammation occurs when the body sends out white bloods cells to protect itself from foreign invaders like bacteria or viruses. However, ingesting certain foods can also create an inflammation response. Pro-inflammatory foods include sugar added beverages, refined carbohydrates and fried foods to name a few (link). A more extensive list of pro-inflammatory foods can be found on another website (link), which as you can tell when you listen to this episode, got me really miffed. I’m not going to go into too many specifics but I’m pretty sure I’m on the “DO NOT INVITE” list for the Oprah Winfrey Show. I KNOW YOU LOVE CHIPS OPRAH, THAT’S THE PROBLEM. Sorry, sorry.

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Nothing like a good rant to end another episode of the Addicted to Fitness podcast. We always enjoy producing these episodes for you and we really hope that you enjoy listening to them. If you do, please let us know by giving us a rating or review in iTunes (link), or by sharing the podcast with a friend (just text them one of the links below 🙏). As Shannon always says “sharing is caring!” We care about you all and we hope you stay healthy this week peeps!

Links to this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/exercise-diet-when-what-and-why/id1121420986?i=1000382543350&mt=2

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

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/exercise-diet-when-what-and-why

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – First Rule of Yoga Training: YOU DON’T TALK ABOUT YOGA TRAINING

Last week’s episode was recorded during a relaxing trip to a tropical paradise. All our wants and desires were catered too and Shannon and I really took advantage of our lack of obligations. It was a good thing we took the time to recharge our batteries because we go over the highlights of the numerous health & fitness activities we’ve been participating in since our return on this week’s Addicted to Fitness podcast.

The first topic we dive into on this week’s episode is Shannon’s first yoga immersion weekend. For all those that may not know, Shannon is enrolled in the Bella Prana yoga teacher training program. Her program last 8 months and consists of 200 hours of training, which means once a month she spends Friday thru Sunday and the following Thursday, doing nothing but yoga. Not only does she practice different forms, she learns about the history of yoga, different teacher techniques, yoga’s effect on human anatomy and much more. Shannon has been praticing yoga in some capacity for the last 21 years, but she realized after her first immersion weekend that she had barely even scratched its surface. She can’t devulge too many secrets about the training, but stay tuned for periodic updates on her journey to become a full fledge yogi.

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The weekend after Shannon’s total immersion into yoga, both her and I, and a few members of the Elemental Training Tampa community, decided to take part in a local 5k. The 5k was part of the Gasparilla Distance Classic which takes place every year in Tampa and includes several running events and a giant health expo. Shannon, Adrien, Darian and I all had respectable showings and this race has me itching to sign up for another event. I’m want to sign up for a 41 floor stairclimb that benefits the Tunnel to Tower Foundation, but Shannon thinks I’m crazy. She’s probably right, but that’s never stopped me before.

We had less than 24 hours to recover from our race before we had to set up for our Facebook Live workout. Shannon directed me through a 15 minute HIIT workout complete with live feedback from viewers (click here to see the workout). One piece of feedback we recieved during the workout was acutally a question about exercises for individuals with knee pain. One of the viewers was curious if forward lunges were a good exercise for someone with such an affliction. My knowledge of exercising with knee injuries made me think “No” right away, but I wanted to make sure my initution was correct. I found an article from a source I trust, Mike Boyle, on stack.com that reaffirmed my assumptions and gave examples of exercises someone with knee pain could perform (click here to see article).

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ETT representing at the Gasparilla 5k

The last fitness related topic we discuss on this week’s episode involves my biggest challenge to date as a personal trainer. I was hired on to be a personal trainer to an individual who has several pre-existing health conditions and is overweight. Not only am I responsible for helping this person maintain a regular exercise program, I’m also in charge of educating them about proper nutrition. After our first couple sessions, I realized that the nutrition portion of the training will be a much bigger hurdle for this individual than the exercise portion. I’m always up for a challenge, especially when it comes to helping a person improve their quality of life.

I’m also up to the challenge of creating fun, entertaining and educational content each week on the podcast. If you enjoy Addicted to Fitness, please do us a favor and share it with a friend. We need your help to reach a broader audience. If you promise to keep sharing, we promise to keep churning out interviews, product reviews, taste tests, and everything else you’ve come to enjoy about the podcast. Keep sharing and stay healthy this week peeps!

Links to this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/first-rule-yoga-training-you-dont-talk-about-yoga-training/id1121420986?i=1000382236070&mt=2

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

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/first-rule-of-yoga-training-you-dont-talk-about-yoga-training

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Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – Adicto a la aptitud de Mexico

Not only is this the 40th episode of Addicted to Fitness, it is the FIRST international episode of the podcast, which you may have already known if you are fluent in Spanish or curious enough to put the episode’s title into a translator on google. Shannon and I decided our trip to Mexico to attend a friend’s wedding would be an ideal environment to record a podcast. Picturesque scenery, relaxing ocean waves and all inclusive access to resort amenities both healthy and not so healthy.

Shannon and I have been running and gunning since the start of the year and this weekend gave us the opportunity to recharge our batteries. Finding moments of temporary stress relief are important to both your physical and mental health. Another practice that can be beneficial to your health is a 30 day challenge. Whether it be 30 days of progressive pushup repetitions or 30 days without dairy, these periodic challenges can help you develop sustainable healthy habits.  I love doing 30 day challenges, and you’ll hear in this episode that I celebrated the completion of 30+ days without alcohol while on the trip. I did celebrate the completion of my challenge with a drink or two, but I quickly discovered why I started the challenge in the first place. Shannon and I may have made some naughty dietary choices while on our short vacay, but we did participate in an activity that was extremely beneficial to our health.

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If you’re an avid listener of the podcast, I’m sure you’ve heard me mention that I’m a big fan of massage. Well apparently Shannon heard me because she scheduled a surprise couples massage at the resort spa during our stay. Therapeutic massage is not only relaxing it can help you move more efficiently. “Tight” muscles can be painful and can create improper movement patterns that could lead to injury. If you know a qualified massage therapist and can afford regular treatments, I’d recommend doing it. Much like this trip, I think it would be money well spent.

We hope you guys enjoy this week’s international episode. If you do, please let us know by giving us a rating and review in iTunes. We’d also really appreciate it if you shared Addicted to Fitness with a friend. Simply copy one of the links below and paste it to their Facebook page or text it to them. We appreciate the support. ¡Mantente saludable esta semana!

Links to this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/adicto-a-la-aptitud-de-mexico/id1121420986?i=1000381935294&mt=2

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

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/adicto-a-la-aptitud-de-mexico

 

Addicted To Fitness Show Notes – A Conversation with the Creators of the Hemp & Coffee Exchange

I go into each podcast with a general outline of what topics I want Shannon and I to address, but we rarely stick to our outline. I’m not complaining because these seemingly scheduled detours lead to great conversations. Which is why it was no surprise to me that this week’s episode of Addicted to Fitness unfolded in a way that I could have never imagined.

We took the podcast on the road this week to meet with the creators of an innovative coffee beverage. Jeremy Denny and Brett Schwencke are the owners/operators of the Hemp & Coffee Exchange, which focuses on providing “sustainable and progressive products to the conscientious consumer by focusing on renewable hemp merchandise and high quality consumables.” Their premier “high quality consumable” is a super coffee that combines the nutritional benefits of hemp hearts or seeds with single origin green coffee beans that they roast themselves. I was first turned on to their product by seeing a bag of it at my local coffee shop. This discovery led Shannon and I to take a trip out to Jeremy’s “Tiny Ranch” for a taste test of their products. What we got was an experience of a lifetime.

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Before we sat down for the podcast, Jeremy showed us around his small estate, introduced us to his four legged friends and demonstrated his affinity to a sustainable lifestyle. After our tour, Shannon and I sat down with Brett and Jeremy and began going over the history of the The Hemp & Coffee exchange. Jeremy’s extensive culinary experience combined with Brett’s knowledge of the hemp industry allowed them to create a unique product that meant both of their ridiculously high standards. Jeremy explained how combining hemp with coffee can provide additional macro and micronutrients not normally found in coffee like omega 3 & 6 fatty acids and fiber. Brett informed us that not only is hemp nutritionally beneficial, but farming it in the United States, where it is currently illegal to mass produce, could help rejuvenate our dwindling agriculture industry. Shannon and I were sold on the nutritional and environmental aspects of the super coffee, but what about the taste?

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The first blend we tasted was a combination of hemp seeds and coffee. Our first immediate reaction was that it tasted very similar to tea. We were both drinking it black and were surprised by how subtle the flavor was. Shannon normally can’t handle black coffee, but she had no problem with this blend. We then tasted the combination of the hemp hearts and coffee. Right away I could tell that I preferred this one. The hemp hearts provided a creamy and nutty flavor similar to that of my non-dairy bulletproof coffee. Interesting enough, Jeremy and Brett stated that their hemp coffee provided the same nutritional benefits, if not more than that of bulletproof coffee. Take that Dave Asprey!

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Jeremy and Brett from the THCexhange

I hope I’ve conveyed the fact that this episode is much more than just a taste test or interview podcast. You really have to listen to the episode to get the full scope of the discussion. Our conversation with Jeremy and Brett was not only educational, it was inspirational. Meeting and speaking with like minded people that are focused on sustainability, whether it be environmentally or nutritionally, is one of the main objectives of the Addicted to Fitness podcast. Do yourself a favor and order a bag of super coffee on the Hemp & Coffee Exchange website, and connect with Jeremy and Brett on their various social channels (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter).

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We really hope you enjoy episodes like this. If you do, please let us know. You can send us feedback at elementaltampa@gmail.com or leave us a rating and review in iTunes. We hope you enjoy the podcast as much as we enjoy producing it. Thanks again for your support and stay healthy this week peeps!

Links to this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/conversation-creators-hemp-coffee-exchange/id1121420986?i=1000381428238&mt=2

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

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/a-conversation-with-the-creators-of-the-hemp-coffee-exchange

 

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 – Our Favorite Smartphone Fitness Apps

Written by Shannon, aka Cassandra. 

Sometimes you simply can’t avoid getting sick. This week I caught a cold which resulted in a husky alter-ego that Nick named “Cassandra.” So don’t mind the raspy co-host for today’s episode.

Ironically, we’re talking about health & fitness apps today! Specifically, Nick and I share our favorite apps that we use every day, then we go through apps from listeners and friends who submitted their picks.

Following up on our previous episode where I reviewed the Fitbit Charge 2, I dive into the user-friendly mobile app that serves as the real power behind any Fitbit. This free app is where you setup your actual Fitbit device, establish your goals, and even where you can track a few other handy health and fitness items.

The Fitbit app includes a very easy user interface, with a main screen that highlights some of your main daily metrics like: steps, floors climbed, miles covered, calories burned, activity and water consumed. You can also get info on your resting heart rate, calories consumed, sleep, etc.

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Picture courtesy of fitbit.com

The best part is the integration with other apps, including Nick’s food log app that he breaks down further, and the peloton app, which sends workout info from the bike to your Fitbit app.

Nick provides a review of the Lose it! app, which is a food journal. While neither of us are big on counting calories, we do like holding ourselves accountable and it’s easy to lose track of what you’re eating. This app is a great way to ensure you’re truly seeing how much macronutrients you’re taking in each day, your calories consumed and your calories burned.

The food catalog for Lose It! is truly impressive with millions of food items, ingredients and meals alike, already logged into the database. You can even scan barcodes with a built-in barcode scanner to make it easy to identify specific food items.

Snap it!, which is an extension of the Lose It app, even gives the option of identifying food by snapping a picture, which it then tries to match up to corresponding nutrition information. It’s just not incredibly accurate, so it’s more effective for simple items (e.g. piece of fruit, protein bar, etc.).

There is a premium version of the app, but the free version offers great options and even integrates with other fitness apps to provide information like steps and exercise.

Getting into the listener’s favorite fitness apps, we list them off for ya:

At the end of the day though, it doesn’t matter if you use fitness apps or not. Use whatever tools you need to hold yourself more accountable and help you to reach your fitness goals.

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We wrap up this episode getting amped up for the new Facebook Live workout that is now available on the ETT Facebook page. Perfect little 25-min workout video that includes a warmup, 15 min HIIT workout and an ab-centric cooldown.We’ve got exciting episodes coming up; please reach out at elementaltampa@gmail.com and let us know what topics you’d like us to discuss on a future episode. Thanks for listening!

Links for this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/our-favorite-smartphone-fitness/id1121420986?i=1000380559728&mt=2

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

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/our-favorite-smartphone-fitness-apps