tampa

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – 3rd Annual Girl Scout Cookie Challenge

It’s that time again. We’ve got another Girl Scout cookie challenge on this week’s Addicted to Fitness podcast. We’re on our third year of this fun fitness challenge and this time Shannon is going to give it a go.

For all those new to this challenge, the ultimate goal is to burn off the calories contained in 3 Girl Scout cookies as quickly as possible.

Just like in previous years, we chose the peanut butter & chocolate Girl Scout cookie known as the Tagalong. We were primarily concerned with the calorie content for 3 of these cookies, but the other nutritional facts are: 14 g fat, 20 g carbs (12 g sugar), 3 g of protein.

Shannon downed three of these bad boys, performed a 5 minute warm-up, then jumped on our beloved Peloton cycle to burn off the 210 calories worth of cookies.

While Shannon was doing most of the heavy lifting, or in this case riding, I gave our training recaps for the week.

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In addition to doing several sessions on the Peloton, Shannon did yoga almost every single day and got to a yoga class at her home studio, Bella Prana. She also performed a couple HIIT workouts to round out her fitness for the week.

I had my personal training sessions at Title and Tampa Strength, including a session with a new ETTampa client. I’ve also been working hard on creating new content for you ATF listeners. We’ll be making an exciting announcement about our new weekly show real soon!

While Shannon was chugging away on the bike, I shared several interesting factoids about Girl Scout cookies like:

  • Since 1999, Girl Scout Cookies bring in about $700 million in annual revenue
  • Thin Mints are the most popular
  • All the girls on the boxes are Girl Scouts
  • In 1985, a 13-year-old girl sold $25,000 worth of cookies

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Thanks to Shannon’s Apple Watch, we were able to count down the final seconds before she reached the 210 calorie goal. Make sure you listen to this week’s episode to find out how long it took her to complete this year’s challenge. Then you can go back and listen to the previous years episodes to find out who completed the challenge faster.

Let us know what you think of this fitness challenge on the Addicted to Fitness Podcast Facebook page. While you’re there, please leave us a rating & review, which we’d also appreciate if you could do in iTunes. It only takes a few minutes and really helps us reach more listeners.

All you ATF coffee lovers should definitely check out our sponsors The Hemp & Coffee Exchange. Visit hempcoffeeexchange.com and read about their delicious & nutritious sustainable super coffee and when you place your order, make sure you use the promo code “ATF” at checkout to get 20% off your order.

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-702220833/3rd-annual-girl-scout-cookie

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/3rd-annual-girl-scout-cookie-challenge

 

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – A Conversation with the Founders of Movement Upgraded, Dr. Ryan & Jen Hosler

This week’s Addicted to Fitness is a “must listen” for several reasons. First, we are speaking to the founders of Movement Upgraded, Dr. Ryan & Dr. Jen Hosler. Second, we are on location at Kodawari Studios in Tampa, Florida. Finally, Ella makes her first appearance on the podcast!

Ryan & Jen were kind enough to welcome all of us into their office at Kodawari to discuss the services they provide. Movement Upgraded is a chiropractic and physical therapy clinic, but also an online resource for movement and mobility. They target the more active population that have mobility issues preventing them from performing the physical activities they love to do.

Shannon&Ella @ Kodawari

Jen (Doctor of Physical Therapy) was introduced to physical therapy in high school during rehab for two separate knee surgeries. After changing her major to exercise science during her undergrad program at IUPUI, she became obsessed with all aspects of fitness. This obsession led her, and Ryan who was in the same program, to begin reading more books, listening to podcasts, attending seminars and apply what they learned at the gym.

They discovered that proper movement was the foundation of everything they were doing in their respective fields and that principle led to the creation of Movement Upgraded.

Movement and mobility are becoming a more popular aspect of the fitness industry according to Ryan (Doctor of Chiropractic). However, he’s worried that trainers may be becoming so focused on mobility that they maybe neglecting their client’s primary fitness goals. That is one of the reasons why they want Movement Upgraded to a be a resource to trainers who have clients with movement issues.

The majority of Movement Upgraded clientele comes from personal trainer referrals. Jen states that the services they provide lie within the rehab to performance gap. They want to make sure that individuals can return to the gym without fear of being in pain or reaggravating their previous injury.

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In addition to the hands-on services they provide, Ryan & Jen also provide a ton of educational content on their social media. We discussed the importance of their “Daily Movement Practice” video series, which included demonstrations of how you can move each individual joint throughout its full range of motion. This is a necessity nowadays since a large percentage of people have a much more sedentary lifestyle.

These videos are a great resource, but if individuals have a specific injury or mobility issue, Ryan and Jen state that a complete assessment is necessary before they provide any recommendations. The majority of the clientele they see at Movement Upgraded come in for lower back issues, but neck & shoulder problems are also a common ailment.

Movement Upgraded doesn’t rely on referrals from general practitioners because typically those individuals view physical therapy as a requirement before surgery. Ryan and Jen want to connect with personal trainers because they view those individuals as the “front line of healthcare.” They want to provide their patients with the knowledge/exercises they need in order to continue their training.

If you live in the Tampa Bay Area, and are in need of the services Movement Upgraded provides, you can schedule your assessment at movementupgraded.com or call (813) 773-4017. If you aren’t a Tampa resident, you can still benefit from their expertise by following them on Facebook and Instagram.

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After you follow Movement Upgraded, head on over to the Addicted to Fitness Podcast Facebook page and give us a like & follow. Don’t forget that we feature comments from that page on the podcast so make sure you let us know what’s on your mind.

We’d also really appreciate a rating & review in iTunes. All you have to do is click here and take a few minutes of your time letting other iTunes users know what you think about the podcast.

Last, but certainly not least, we encourage you to check out our sponsors, The Hemp & Coffee Exchange. Head to hempcoffeeexchange.com, read about their awesome products, and use the promo code “ATF” at checkout to get 20% off your order. You can thank later.

Links for this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/addicted-to-fitness-podcast/id1121420986?mt=2&i=1000403843692

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nick-burch-702220833/a-conversation-with-the

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/a-conversation-with-the-founders-of-movement-upgraded-dr-ryan-jen-hosler

 

 

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – Valentine’s Day Taste Test & Macros Game

Happy belated Valentine’s Day Addicted to Fitness listeners!

This may be a lesser, borderline manufactured holiday, but it’s still a great opportunity to give you all a holiday themed episode. You’ll be hearing this after Valentine’s Day but the topics discussed are applicable throughout the year.

We start off this week’s episode with the Listeners Talk Back segment. We asked the listeners which 100 rep challenge we should Facebook Live to celebrate getting 100 likes on the Addicted to Fitness Podcast Facebook page. The results are in and you all chose……

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We will have already completed this challenge by the time you’re reading this but you can head to the ATF Facebook page and watch the video. Feel free to leave us a comment while you’re there.

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We keep our Training Recaps short and sweet this week. Shannon successfully completed a week’s worth of workouts that included a trip to her home yoga studio Bella Prana. She has to complete her workouts before Ella wakes up at 7am, which means she a has to wake up around 5am in order to get a 20-30 min HIIT, spinning or yoga workout in, and still have time to get ready for work. This is quite an accomplishment because Shannon does not enjoy getting out of bed

I on the other hand, am still knocking out personal training sessions at Tampa Strength, Title Boxing and client’s homes. The only other workout related info I have to share is that I inherited Shannon’s Fit Bit Charge 2, which we reviewed in a past episode. This particular fitness tracker is great if you want to track & log health data like heart rate, steps and calorie burn.

After a quick training recap, we jump into our holiday themed taste test. During a recent grocery shopping trip we saw that the diet & weight loss brand Atkins makes a peanut M&M knockoff. Being that peanut M&M’s are one of our favorite candies, we decided to do a blind taste test of the Atkins peanut M&M’s and the real thing.

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I had already sampled the goods, which is why Shannon participated in the blind taste test to see if she could taste the difference between the two versions of the peanut M&M. You’ll have to listen to find out if Shannon could tell the difference between the real thing and the knock-off, but here’s the nutritional info for both candies if you’re curious

Real Peanut M&M’s

  • 1.75 oz bag contains 13 g fat, 30 g carbs (25 g sugar) and 5 g of protein

Atkins Chocolate Peanut Candies

  • 1.2 oz bag contains 11 g fat, 18 g carbs* (1 g of sugar & 15 g of sugar alcohols) 4 g of protein *also contains a small amount of artificial sweeteners

If you want to learn more about the effect sugar alcohols have on our body, go back and listen to our interview with the CEO of the sugar alcohol producing company, Swerve.

As if a blind taste test of candies you may have given your sweetie wasn’t enough, we also have a holiday edition of the Macros Game on this week’s episode.

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Oysters are often thought of as aphrodisiacs

For anyone who is unfamiliar with the Macros Game, it is a nutritional trivia game that requires the contestants to guess the macronutrient (fat, protein or carbohydrate) when given its amount in a serving of a certain food.

This time around we test each other’s nutritional knowledge on foods that are often consider aphrodisiacs, which are foods that claim to increase libido when consumed. We tested each other’s knowledge on oysters, dark chocolate, sweet potatoes,  asparagus and other foods from Organic Authority‘s Top 22 aphrodisiac foods.

Make sure you listen to the podcast to find out if Shannon was able to maintain her winning streak. We also encourage you all to play along and send us your scores. If you get a perfect score we’ll share it on our social channels (Facebook, Instagram or Twitter) with a special shout out post.

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You can definitely find that shout out on the Addicted to Fitness Podcast Facebook page. While you’re there, please leave us a rating & review, which we’d also appreciate if you could also do in iTunes. It only takes a few minutes and really helps us reach more listeners.

If you forgot to get a Valentine’s Day gift for your sweetie, get them a bag of sustainable super coffee from The Hemp & Coffee Exchange. Head to hempcoffeeexchange.com and use the promo code “ATF” at checkout to get 20% off your order.

Links to this week’s episode:

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/addicted-to-fitness-podcast/id1121420986?mt=2&i=1000402930556

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nick-burch-702220833/valentines-day-taste-test

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/valentines-day-taste-test-macros-game

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – A Review of the Headspace Meditation App

Another week and another awesome episode of the Addicted to Fitness podcast!

This week, Shannon and I investigate the scientific-based benefits of mediation and give a review of the Headspace smartphone mediation app. But before we jump into those topics, we give our training recaps.

I’ve been trying to do a better job of shooting videos for the @ettampa Instagram feed, especially boxing/kickboxing videos. Striking instruction is my bread & butter and I want to share that with my online audience.

I’ve also been adding more steel mace (see pic below) exercises into client workouts. I love using the steel mace because its highly uneven weight distribution can make any common exercise, like a lunge, much more challenging. Plus, they make you look BADASS!

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Shannon has been slowly, but surely, adding workouts back into her routine. She’s been able to do a small amount of yoga and HIIT sessions, but a reoccurring vertigo condition has somewhat slowed her progress. We asked if listeners have any suggestions on herbal supplements that can help with vertigo, maybe even an essential oil, which we plan on investigating more in a future episode.

After we wrap up our respective training recaps, we dive into the topic of mediation. Thanks to one of our favorite sources of evidence supported health information, healthline.com, we list the 12 science-based benefits of mediation:

  1. Reduces stress
  2. Controls anxiety
  3. Promotes emotional health
  4. Enhances self-awareness
  5. Lengthens attention span
  6. May reduce age-related memory loss
  7. Can generate kindness
  8. May help fight addictions
  9. Improves sleep
  10. Helps control pain
  11. Can decrease blood pressure
  12. You can meditate anywhere

The last benefit from that list was really made a possibility thanks to smartphone apps like Headspace.  I learned about Headspace while listening to the Tim Ferriss podcast. I took advantage of their free 10 day subscription several times. Then I finally upgraded to the full subscription version, which cost about $95 annually.

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The app was created/founded in 2010 by marketing & brand developer Rich Pierson and Andy Puddicombe. Andy is a former Buddhist monk and the voice of the guided meditations. Rich and Andy’s mission is to remove the mysticism attached to meditation and make it more attractive to a broader audience.

Once I upgraded to the full version, I had to complete 90 foundational sessions in order to unlock any of the other packages contained in the app. Those foundation sessions walk you through the best methods to achieve a meditative state – focus on breathing, be present, acknowledge outside distractions (sounds, smells, etc) but always return to the breath.

One of the first packages I used after my foundation sessions was the “pregnancy” package. As you can imagine, I listened to it while Shannon was pregnant with Ella, and it help teach me how my character/mood could affect the development of the baby. The app is full of packages that introduce an intention for a subject area that you want to improve on (e.g. anxiety, motivation, sleep, etc.).

Headspace also has guided mediations that you can listen to while performing a specific task (e.g. cooking, walking, commuting, etc.), mini 1-3 minute mediations you can use if you need to refresh or focus and animations that help explain the different aspects of mediation.

I’m a big fan of the new “everyday headspace” feature which provides a new intentions daily and allows you to change the length of time you want to mediate. Shannon has been a fan of mediation for a long time due to her years in yoga. After she started using the app, she realized how many of the same methods she’s already been using. She believes headspace is great for introducing people to the foundations of mediation, but from what she’s seen so far, it may be more geared towards beginners than experienced mediators.

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If you’re a user of the Headspace app, please let us know what you think of it by leaving us a comment/message on the Addicted to Fitness Podcast Facebook page. As you heard in this episode, if you leave us a comment or message, we will read it in a new segment Shannon dubbed Listeners Talk Back.

Don’t forget to take advantage of the awesome 20% off promo code (“ATF”) from our sponsors, The Hemp Coffee Exchange, so you can stock up on some tasty, and nutritious, coffee – the perfect follow-up to a good mediation session.

Links to this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/addicted-to-fitness-podcast/id1121420986?mt=2&i=1000402046714

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nick-burch-702220833/a-review-of-the-headspace

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/a-review-of-the-headspace-mediation-app

Weekend Workout – Strengthening Your Core Should Be A Primary Concern

The primary mover is the muscle or muscles generating the majority of the “force” during a particular exercise. For example, during a bench press, the pectorals are the primary movers. During a curl, the biceps are the primary movers and in the weekend workout below, the muscle groups that make up your core are the primary movers.

Performing five, 10 rep supersets of this workout will help strengthen all the muscles in your core, not just your 6-pack (rectus abdominis). Don’t forget to warmup and modify the workout to match your fitness level.

If you complete this or any weekend workout, please let us know in the comment section below OR you can send us a pic/video of you doing the workout on social media (Facebook, Instagram or Twitter). ENJOY!

ETT Weekend Workout 2-9

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – The Health Benefits of Sauna Use

Welcome back and thanks again for taking time to pop over and check out this week’s Addicted to Fitness Show Notes.

As always, we truly appreciate all the likes, reviews and comments. Keep, them coming!

We start off with a quick training recap.

On the one side, Nick has been doing a lot of sandbag of training lately. The system he’s becoming versed in is ultimate sandbag training, also know as DVRT, which is what they use at Tampa Strength  (they even have a 100 lb sandbag). Nick also mentioned that Tampa Strength will be launching their group mobility class February 6th, which you can read more about in this blog post on their website for more details on the class and the importance of mobility.

Then there’s me, who’s really only been able to add a couple of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts back into my routine. Workouts have been brief (only about 12-minutes each) when Ella is napping, but at least it’s something!

Now, let’s heat things up a bit as we get to the main topic of discussion. Let’s talk about the health benefits of saunas.

Saunas have been used around the world for an extremely long time for relaxation and a range of health benefits. There has been a good deal of quality scientific research on the health benefits, most of which is from Finland, where they are utilized regularly by citizens.

A sauna is a small room or building used for keeping heat (steam or dry) in it. The types of saunas:

  • Finnish sauna
  • Electrically heated sauna
  • Smoke sauna
  • Steam sauna/room
  • Infrared sauna

A quick search for at-home saunas led to us to find a range from $1000-$1500, and even some cheaper, DIY versions (picture below).

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Courtesy of homedepot.com

Some quick stats:

  • A  2015 study stated that using a sauna multiple times a week can actually significantly improve longevity by reducing all-cause mortality by up to 40%.
  • Another study suggests that sauna use can help improve athletic performance, muscle gain and proper regulation of hormones
  • Dr. Mercola describes the positive effect on chronic brain-related conditions regular sauna use can have in a number of studies in his article.

Saunas have been touted for their health benefits since ancient times and now the science is actually backing up those claims. Some people still see them as more of a relaxation/luxury than an actual health boosting practice, but there is clear evidence they should be used for the latter!

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If you are a regular sauna user, please let us know on the Addicted to Fitness Podcast Facebook page. As previously mentioned we appreciate all the feedback you’ve been giving us as of late and we’ll make sure you read your comments on a future ATF episode.

We also encourage you to give us a rating and review in iTunes. May not seem like a big deal but it’s a quick, easy task that can really help us reach more people.

As a little show of a gratitude for your listenership, use the promo code “ATF” at our sponsor’s website, hempcoffeeexchange.com, and get 20% off their delicious sustainable super coffee.

Links to this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-health-benefits-of-sauna-use/id1121420986?i=1000401490276&mt=2

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nick-burch-702220833/the-health-benefits-of-sauna

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/the-health-benefits-of-sauna-use

Weekend Workout – Learning To Fight Can Save Your Life In Many Ways

If you’re new to the blog and/or the Addicted to Fitness Podcast, you may not know that my fitness epiphany began when I started boxing & kickboxing. The total body movements required to throw a proper kick or punch transformed by body. It also made me realize that you don’t need free weights or barbells to get ripped.

That’s why I’m always excited to share weekend workouts that contain boxing & kickboxing techniques. I combined a pair of striking combos with a couple bodyweight exercises to provide a cardio boosting, strength building workout.

Head to the ETT YouTube channel (link) if you need further instruction on the techniques listed below. I recommend performing the workout in interval format (30 sec work/30 sec rest) for 12-20 minutes. Don’t forget to warmup and modify the workout to match your fitness level.

If you complete this or any weekend workout, please let us know in the comment section below OR you can send us a pic/video of you doing the workout on social media (Facebook, Instagram or Twitter). ENJOY!

ETT Weekend Workout 2-3

Addicted to Fitness Show Notes – An Interview with the Founder of the Corporate Warrior Podcast & Blog Lawrence Neal

We are super excited to be bringing you this week’s of Addicted to Fitness mainly because it features an interview with author, podcaster and blogger Lawrence Neal. Lawrence reached out to us via email and after I did my research, I knew I wanted him on the podcast.

Lawrence has been producing the Corporate Warrior podcast & blog since 2014 and has spoken to a laundry list of luminaries from the world of health and fitness, many of which we frequently mention on ATF.

During our interview, Lawrence shared that his approach to fitness was altered after watching a specific video from Dr. Doug McGuff in 2012. This video inspired him to read Dr. McGuff’s book, Body by Science, and reach out to the doctor to request an interview.

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This request turned into the first episode of the Corporate Warrior podcast and has now lead to him recording over 100 episodes. Lawrence mentioned that his interviews with Dr. McGuff are some of his favorites and ones he’d recommend to ATF listeners. He also mentioned that his interview with board-certified family medicine physician and “Diet and Exercise 2.0” creator Dr. Ted Naiman was a great one to listen to.

Lawrence and I also discussed the ebook he wrote on fat loss. His experience & research has shown him that diets higher in quality protein and lower in processed carbohydrates have the most potential to provide individuals with a sustainable way to lose weight. The ebook also provides information on Lawrence’s perferred form of strength training.

Lawrence is a big proponent of High Intensity Training (HIT). There are different variations of HIT, but Lawrence explains that it generally consists of performing a single set of an exercise, for every muscle group, to muscular failure in a single workout. The goal of HIT is to find the minimal effective dose needed to stimulate the most physiological benefits. This allows the user to optimize his or her time in and out of the gym.

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These are just a few of the topics Lawrence and I discussed on this week’s episode. I encourage you to listen to the entire episode and check out all of Lawrence’s content at corporatewarrior.org. You can also subscribe to his podcast by searching for “Corporate Warrior” in the same app you use to listen to Addicted to Fitness.

If you use Apple Podcasts in iTunes to listen to your podcasts, please give Addicted to Fitness and rating & review. It only takes a few minutes but can help us spread the good word of fitness to a broader audience.

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We’d also love for you to like & follow the Addicted to Fitness Podcast Facebook page. We have exclusive content up there including an upcoming Facebook Live plank challenge. You can also post topic suggestions for future episodes of the podcast.

Last but not least, please visit our sponsor’s website, hempcoffeeexchange.com, and when you buy some of their sustainable super coffee, use the code “ATF” at checkout to get 20% off.

Links to this week’s episode

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/addicted-to-fitness-podcast/id1121420986?mt=2&i=1000400947934

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nick-burch-702220833/an-interview-with-the-1

Website: http://addictedtofitness.libsyn.com/an-interview-with-corporate-warrior-podcast-blog-founder-lawrence-neal