I rejoined Memphis Adventure BootCamp in the fall of 2011.  I was attending class regularly, 3-5 times a week, but not seeing the scale change.  It wasn’t until I joined the Resolution Challenge that I got serious about the nutritional aspect of a healthy lifestyle.  That is why I love Memphis Adventure Bootcamp, they focus on the whole body (nutritional and physical)!!! I was diagnosed over 3 years ago with Celiac Disease.  Here is a little excerpt about Celiac an autoimmune disorder:

Celiac Disease (CD) is unique in that a specific food component, gluten, has been identified as the trigger. When individuals with CD eat gluten, the villi (tiny hair-like projections in the small intestine that absorb nutrients from food) are damaged. This is due to an autoimmune reaction to gluten. Damaged villi do not effectively absorb basic nutrients – proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and, in some cases, water and bile salts. If CD is left untreated, damage to the small bowel can be chronic and life threatening, causing an increased risk of associated disorders – both nutritional and immune related.

With having Celiac I needed to stay away from wheat, barley, etc.  I had done pretty well but I would still at time some on contact with the gluten.  When I was doing well at staying away from the gluten I would not have gastro problems.  When I came in contact with gluten, I would have a swollen stomach/bloated, diarrhea, constipated, headaches, GERD, etc.  I just could not find a safe way to stay away from possible contamination.

When I started researching about the Resolution Challenge I realized that this maybe a solution for my Celiac: lean meats, low sodium, fresh fruits and veggies, no butter, cheeses, etc.  I was really excited to get started on the program.

I found that the program was rather easy to adapt to.  I had already cut out breads because of the celiac so my only problem was the “sweet bite” that I would need.  I found myself thinking about what I am about to eat and the effects it will have on my goal.  After my first week, I was hooked.  Saying no or finding alternatives was becoming so easy.  I attended class 3 times a week, even when sick   and I turned in my weekly food journals for Dexter’s review.

With the nutritional element added to my lifestyle, I have not had the bloated stomach, nausea, diarrhea, or GERD.  The GERD was so bad that during boot camp I would get really nauseated and leave with a burning in my throat from all the acid.  I have not had that feeling since about week 2 of the challenge.  I also started taking Fish Oil Supplements, D3 5000 IU, and Probiotics daily.

When I was doing my research before the Challenge started, I realized that this is not something that I will do for 6 weeks; this needs to be a lifestyle!!!

Your Boot Camper,
Crystal Spicer

Since having my son in September 2008, I’ve been searching for ways to lose the residual fat that comes from pregnancy.  Over the past few year’s I’ve tried several different diets that I just couldn’t seem to stick to.  My husband and I joined a gym, but we really didn’t get any use out of it.  I even resorted to taking diet pills for a short time to lose weight.

When I first heard about Memphis Adventure Boot Camp it sounded really fun and exciting.  It was actually from a daily special on Groupon.  The word “Adventure” just stood out to me so I decided to look at their website.  I was really inspired by all of the amazing videos.  I was very excited about joining, and I was really hoping it could make a difference for me.  The first week I was there I could really see how out of shape I was.  I was so sore all over, but the program was very fun and engaging. I knew then that this was something I could stick with.

The program has lots of things that keep you motivated.  He has lots of little contests with different criteria.  The first contests I participated in were “fat flush” challenges.  I really took them seriously, and I even won one of them!

During the past six weeks, for the Resolution Rescue 2012,  my body has gotten more toned.  I have more upper body and leg strength.  My self confidence has improved dramatically.  I can fit into jeans I haven’t been able to wear for six years!  The program has really taught me self discipline in regards to eating healthy. It was really hard at first.  I had to adjust to eating fewer carbs which meant not eating any rice.  This was probably the biggest obstacle I had.  I also had trouble finding things that I could eat every day and not get tired of.  I’ve since been able to do this, and I see the benefits every time I look into the mirror!  I know that I look better and I’ve gotten several compliments from my co-workers and most importantly from my husband.

I can not say enough how glad I am and how thankful I am to Dexter and his team for developing this amazing program.  I’ve certainly feel much better about myself.  Since joining the boot camp I’ve had lots more energy and I look and feel so much better.  I actually ran my first 5K back in October for the breast cancer awareness.  That was something I could not have participated in prior to joining.  Dexter, Amanda, and Josh have really showed me how I can “be better.” I recommend the program to all of my friends and family!  Thanks again Memphis Adventure Boot Camp!

Obesity is a serious issue for my entire family. Both sides of my family suffer from this unhealthiness. With such a history, it is unsurprising that I became overweight and mostly sedentary in my teens. I stopped ballet and gymnastics very early on and never picked up any other physical activities.  At 21, I finally had enough. Weighing in at 230lbs, I was depressed and angry. I began Weight Watchers, which worked wonders for me. I was on my first steps on my fitness journey. Two years later, I had lost 70 lb., but was not particularly in shape. I heard about MABC from a family friend, Angela, who encouraged me to try it for a month. I. Was. Hooked. The workouts were intense, but malleable to my own fitness level. However, I was still not eating right. Yes, I was consuming fewer calories, but not the right kind to fuel my day. I wasn’t really seeing significant changes in my body. My fitness abilities were increasing, but my body looked the same. I tried one of Dexter’s Fat Flushes right before Thanksgiving and it was such a game changer. I lost a lot of fat and gained definition. Of course, right after that, the holidays hit and my willpower was not as strong as it should have been. I gained back all the weight I had lost. Once again, Dexter came in to save the day. The Resolution Rescue sounded like the perfect opportunity to challenge myself physically and mentally. I knew it would be tough, but I also knew at the end of the day, I would feel significantly better.

Throughout the challenge, I learned how to view food as fuel and to primarily eat only what I needed AND when I was hungry (which was often). I did slip up a few times, but overall, my nutrition portion of the competition was a success. Additionally, I started out being able to run an almost 12 minute mile and currently, I can run one in 9 minutes! My weights have also been bumped up and I can do full pushups. These are just a few calculable changes. I can also feel a difference in my body. My clothes fit looser and when I look in the mirror, lots of changes have occurred and others are just beginning.

Finally, I do not feel like I am walking away from this. This has been a life-changing experience. My plan is to keep up with my current nutrition and try primarily eating clean. Boot camp will still be a vital part of my life and I know it will continue to challenge me. Thank you so much Dexter, Amanda and everyone at MABC for helping rescue me from myself!

Hey everybody! I hope everyone is doing well. This was my first weekend doing the challenge. It was especially hard because I had to travel to my sister’s graduation, which meant travel food and eating out. I have to admit, I am quite pleased with the whole weekend because not only did I get to see my sister walk for her graduation, I did quite well with eating. Let’s get into detail.

For the trip Middle Tennessee, I took almonds in individual bags, water, and Vitamin Waters (I like the Lightly Squeezed Lemon flavor). That worked out fine for both the trip down and back. We ended up eating out a total of 4 times.

For Friday evening, we ate at Outback Steakhouse where I order a steak, asparagus, and unsweet tea. It was pretty good actually!

For Saturday breakfast, my sister was panicking and ended up leaving before Amanda and I. We went to Waffle House. I got a Fiesta omelet, tomatoes, and unsweet tea.

For lunch, the graduation finally ended and my sister wanted seafood! So, we went to Red Lobster to celebrate the monumental moment or tassel changing sides. I don’t know exactly what I got, but it was a lobster tail, a skewer of grilled shrimp, shrimp scampi, and broccoli with unsweet tea. I didn’t like the scampi, so I traded with my brother-in-law for his grilled shrimp since he wasn’t too keen with it.

I don’t know about you, but when I eat a healthy seafood meal, I am quite hungry not too long after. Since we were driving through Nashville, we decided to get dinner there. After a long debate about betraying Memphis BBQ, we decided to go to Nick’s which is on the main drag of Nashville. I got a chicken and a side of cucumber salad. I have to admit, the tangy sauce was quite good!

We made it home well. Sunday, we resumed our eating schedule and tried to rest as best as we could. So, overall, it was a good weekend!

This weekend made me think about the situation I was faced with. Yeah, I pretty much had to eat out and not stick to my Personal Trainer Foods plan. However, I didn’t get off of the plan of eating a meat and veggie for every meal. I could have caved with the triple chocolate cake shoved in my face or the margaritas enjoyed by my sister, but I didn’t. I figured the one vice I was forced to partake in was eating out, so it didn’t make sense to give into any other vices. My point is this: if you are wanting to have a “cheat day” at some point or you are in a situation outside of your control, just relax on one area, not all areas. I ate out, but I still ate right. If you eat at home, maybe enjoy one meal with a thin crust pizza, or have a glass of wine with a really good for you meal. You see, you can still enjoy a “cheat” while still sticking to the plan.

Oh and just a little sneak look on the scale, down 9 lbs! It’s not the end all be all of success indicators, but still pretty cool!

Let me know your thoughts! Do you agree, disagree? Share your comments below!

Dexter

Day 5 with the Personal Trainer Food and things are starting to settle. I don’t have as much brain fog which is pretty awesome. So I have a problem. My sister is graduating from MTSU this Saturday. Of course, I am proud of her. However this weekend is going to mess me up because there will be 2-3 meals where I just can’t eat at home. More than likely, we will be eating out. So the thing I want to be fully prepared mentally. Here’s the game plan:

No matter what, I am going to eat only a meat and veggie meal or a salad with meat. No matter what, I am going to drink water or non-sweet tea.

You see, most people mess up when they get thrown into a situation they can’t control. I have laid out a solid plan where I WILL NOT mess up.

So the two things you can get out of this.

1. Have a strict and solid game plan when thrown into a situation you might be able to control.
2. Use your accountability partner (you guys are my accountability partner!) when you put into tough times for exercise and nutrition.

I gotta finish packing to get ready to see my sister graduate! Tell me your thoughts! What have you done to help you when you have been challenged when you are trying to eat better and exercise more consistently.

Talk soon!

Dexter

The common misconception to getting healthy and fit is to eat less and exercise more. This is just flat out wrong! Our mission is to provide people an environment and an applicable educational knowledge that over-exercising is dumb, correct nutritional implementation is the key to fitness, and allowing you time to do the things you love is the ultimate in happiness.

Our mission is simple: to provide you with the place to get real results in the most direct way possible so that you can enjoy life. Too often, people get A.D.D. when it comes to exercise and nutrition. They do exercise for a little while and then they get bored or frustrated that it isn’t working as quickly as they had hoped. They jump to the YMCA, to Zumba, to marathon running. While, we believe that variety is a good thing, this type of behavior is a detriment to long term fitness and health. The same goes with nutrition. People want to look like a (real) person that could be on magazine cover, but they don’t implement discipline when it comes to the most important piece of the fitness puzzle: having correct nutrition.

Exercise must implement two very important concepts in order to produce long lasting results. First, it must be progressive. This means you must constantly challenge the muscle in a linear fashion in order to continue to get results. That is why our clients are constantly encouraged to move up in their weights. Second, it must cycle the workouts. This means the workouts must focus on different muscle fibers in various ways in order to maximize results.

Nutrition is simple to say, but we admit is more difficult to implement. We help clients rediscover what real food is, and how to eat in a way that stimulates fat loss, improves performance, and most importantly, improves your health.

We create a fun and inviting place to fulfill your need to lose weight, get healthier, and feel better about yourself. We understand that the machine doesn’t produce results, the body IS the machine. We tell our bodies what we want it to do and in a sense we are the clay maker sculpting the body into what we want of it.

We strongly emphasize not overexercising, but when we do exercise to make it count and do the best we can at that brief moment of the day. We instead ask our clients to look at the harder portion of the equation, the nutrition, and choose the best foods that allow them to thrive in fitness, their weight loss goals, and life. We accept that each person is at different levels in this journey, but continually nudging up the ladder of betterment gives our clients results that no other offering can do.

This mission and way of doing fitness and nutrition is why our clients are the fittest, the healthiest, and the most sound in mind than anyone else in Memphis. We are proud of all of our clients and we truly appreciate being consider the “Best Health Club” in Memphis.

With that said, nominations for this year’s Memphis Most is open! Take a second and vote for us every day. It would be our honor!

http://commercialappealapps.com/most/. Click on Nominations Are Open and vote for us as well as your other favorite places. You don’t have to vote for every single one.

Show us some love and post a comment!

Prospective, Planning and Push Ups!! These are the words that sum up what I need to be successful with a total individual, wellness program.

Prospective:  We all know that successful weight loss, proper fitness training and everything related to these two major pieces of individual wellness (negative and positive) is all IN THE HEAD!  This is what I mean by prospective.  For me – this is the first place to start when trying to work on an individual wellness program.  Prospective is also what I think is the KEY to real success and lasting success.  Without the proper prospective, none of the other pieces of this puzzle will be successful.  With the six week challenge, I found that my prospective has changed by being a part of a group, who all has the same goals and focus.  Weight loss has never been something I needed to think about, until now – age 40, after two babies.  Being in this group with women who have real weight struggles and nutrition issues, has made me realize that my challenge should not be that hard or at least I should not complain about my struggles so much.  It has given me perspective.  I have always been fit, always eaten well and always enjoyed both.  This current chapter in my life is one where accomplishing these things is more difficult.  The lifestyle I want is becoming more difficult to attain as my schedule becomes more packed with commitments elsewhere.

Planning:  To stay on top of a successful wellness program, I must PLAN!  It is because my current life is so busy and over-scheduled that this major planning is a necessity. As a wife of more than ten years, a mother of two boys under age 7, and as a volunteer at church, school and Junior League, as well as a working as a part time office administrator at an accounting firm, NOT planning in not even an option any more. Planning is essential with both the fitness and the nutrition pieces, equally.  With the 6 week challenge I found that I can make a real effort on the nutrition piece only once a week and be successful for a full 7 days.  By looking at the family’s schedule for the week, pulling recipes and making a grocery list – 90% of the battle is over on the nutrition front.  I enjoy shopping and I enjoy cooking.  By planning I can cook and portion out food for the entire week and not just for me but for my husband and children’s lunches as well.  So we are all benefiting from this nutrition planning.  As far as planning for exercise the only thing I have to consider is if my husband is traveling or has early morning meetings.  I have found that by starting out going to Boot Camp on Monday is essential and makes me get started with a more successful week of exercise.  Also as the week wears me down, I feel more justified skipping boot camp later in the week, if I have shown up more often during the earlier part of the week.  I hardly ever exercise on Saturdays – due to commitments for the children, but I typically get to attend spin and Pilates classes to supplement when I can’t come to boot camp.

Push Ups – Obviously exercise is a pivotal piece of a wellness program, but what I have learned most from boot camp is that it is the TYPE of exercise you do that counts most!  Because I have always been a person who exercises, I have to really concentrate on changing things up and pushing myself harder.  The trainers at boot camp are really good at helping with both of these issues.  I think I will always participate in some form of exercise.  Attending boot camp helps me stay accountable.  I like the small class I attend and the friends I have made.

TAKE AWAY – After the six week challenge I do feel much better, fit-wise and nutrition- wise.  But I am such an obsessive person that I find it daunting to try to learn it all – especially about the nutrition piece – since there are so many conflicting views and opinions out there today.  A major factor for me now is to avoid injury.  The birth defects with both of my feet do give me more trouble as I age.  I find that if I can keep my weight down, my feet tend to do a little better.  My personal goal is to be able to continue at a level of fitness that I need for weight loss/maintenance but do so without hurting on a daily basis.  I have enjoyed this six week challenge and I like the accountability of it.  I plan to continue with the challenge thru the summer, for the most part.  My challenge is to incorporate more lean protein into my diet.  I like setting a good example for our children and my husband like the results he has gotten from my participation in this challenge.  Overall for the Caraway family it has been a win, win experience!!

The last few days have been a challenge. I admit they have been tough due to some “mental fog” and headaches. The mental fog occurs the first few days you do a reduction in carbohydrate and the headaches are a mix of allergies and getting off of the caffeine from diet drinks. However, I have been totally sticking to the game plan of not eating out or buying diet sodas. We have been eating at home, using the Personal Trainer Foods for our meals. They are quite tasty for “healthy food” because they are simple: meat and veggies. For breakfast, they are usually an egg omelet and sausage patty. The only concern I have run into so far is when I teach in Cordova, there is no microwave. So, I warmed up the meal prior to teaching class and worked out OK. To check out the foods, just click here.

I began thinking about why we “eat out.” For me, it’s a chance to step away from what I am working on and to drive my vehicle and enjoy the scenery, people, etc. The food is great tasting, hard to imitate at home, but I usually have a standard of decent options I pick to eat. However, the temptation of desserts, diet coke, and other possible meals lurk and I think I will be better for it to break the need to eat out. So, here are a few tips when trying to break the eating out cycle that I am and will use.

1. Instead of driving to a restaurant, go outside to your back yard and enjoy your meal there. Sometimes, drive to the park and enjoy your meal and get some fresh air.
2. Since you are eating at home or at the office, you don’t have to waste time and can get back to work quicker.
3. Snack on almonds or other nuts in portioned sizes a couple times a day to help you through the transition period.
4. Be OK with the fact for the first few days, you are going to have some brain fog and take power naps or go to bed earlier if needed.

OK, so here are my initial measurements. Both of our goals are based on body fat reduction. Personally, I would like to get to around 8% body fat, which is pretty good for a guy.

So here are my initial numbers from April 30. I won’t post Amanda’s on my own post, but will let her do hers if she wants.

April 30:
wt: 252 (that’s up and I haven’t weighed myself in nearly 3 years, but see the lean weight)
pinches: 6-30-32-6
body fat %: 18.24% (too high for me, I like to be closer to 12% when not trying too hard)
Fat weight: 45.97
Lean weight: 206.03 (This is up and is a good thing, which is due to my training. Remember, if I weighed 206, I would be 0% body fat, which is not only impossible, it’s dumb to keep for very long).

So there you go, a humanly post by the fitness trainer. Talk in a few days!

Be Better, Have Some Adventure!

Dexter

It has been a stressful, but exciting couple of months for Amanda and I. We have had a few set backs, yes, but we have had many more things to look forward in the future! The Adventure Boot Camp logo changed and the first revision corporate sent us was horrible! Finally, they found a good logo that represents what we do. Here it is below:

My close cousin Tinker passed away recently and that really hit the family hard. On a positive note, the book I co-wrote called The Wellness Code was released and instantly became a number one best seller on Amazon.com. Our interns from the University of Memphis finished their hours in order to graduate. Many of the boot campers at Memphis ABC appreciated the interns (as we did as well!) and through a series of miscommunications, the interns’ going away party was mishandled. Amanda is coming on board with us full time to work as a trainer as well as keep her position as administrative assistant. We are working on launching new offerings for beginners and advanced boot campers. Amanda and I both decided to enroll in Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University in order to finally face those dreaded student loans we took out for both undergraduate degrees and graduate degrees. Yikes! To top all of this off, we both have this relentless desire to have the absolute best fitness and health prevention offering in the city of Memphis and in the entire south east.

If we are going to stay true to our fitness business by leading by example and to our commitment that we are making to good ole Dave Ramsey, we had to make a decision. And that big decision for us revolved around our food habits. Memphis is an awesome place for food because simply put, it has some of the best tasting food in the world. When I was doing my master’s degree internship at IHP in Boca Raton, their BBQ place used, I kid you not, ketchup!! for BBQ sauce. Talk about gross! But let’s get back to the point.

Eating out just costs too much. It continues to go up each and every year. Meals tend to be more like $13.00 now when a year ago they were $10.00, but even that isn’t the point from a Dave Ramsey point of view. Eating out is too expensive…period! Now, the more important issue at hand is the fact that we both have been off on our eating and nutrition. I want you to read it again. The fitness trainer AND fitness trainer wife that heads Memphis Adventure Boot Camp has been not been eating healthy or at least as healthy as they should!

So, we have decided to do what any person should do who wants to change a habit. We are getting serious about it and we are going to publicly announce we are determined and dedicated to being the best us while being aggressive with our student loans.

How are we going to do that? We both work 60+ hours a week and we are trying to be frugal.

Simple. We are going to use Personal Trainer Foods. Personal Trainer Foods is a prepared meal system that implements what we teach to clients: eat real foods to get results and stop counting calories!! It’s a no BS approach to getting results. Instead of paying $13.00 for every meal, we are going to only pay that for the entire day! It you want to find out more about what we are using, click on the banner below.

So what are we going to do:

1. We are doing the 14 Day Fat Flush Challenge along with our awesome Memphis ABC campers where we post everyday to Facebook that we are participating in the challenge. This is sort of a “jump start” if you will.

2. We are going to post initial measurements, pictures (after the second assessment for the picture), and we are going to write once a week talking about our experiences, struggles, successes, and other unexpected things that occur along the way. We will do measurements bi-weekly.

3. We are only using Personal Trainer foods to eat. If we go out with friends, we are there to only enjoy the time with them, not the food.

3. We are committing to working out 5X a week minimum. I personally use a 7 day split that shortens the workouts but maximizes the exact time to train the muscles.

4. We are going to take specific Paleo approved supplements to maximize health and results.

5. We are going to not drink anything other than water, non-sweet tea, or coffee.

So, this is going to be an adventure and we really look forward to the awesome results our hard work is going to produce!

Be Better, Have Some Adventure!

Dexter

As a child and young adult, I never had any weight issues. Even during my first pregnancy, I did not gain excessive weight. But, my first child, Jeff, was born prematurely. We were very lucky and he was a healthy baby, just small. Because he weighed less than five pounds, Jeff couldn’t go home when I did. By the time he was ten days old, I had lost almost all of the baby weight. Jeff was still in the hospital. I was pumping milk and taking it to the hospital to give to him and the nurses told me that my milk did not have enough fat in it. It was as if that was a challenge. I started eating anything I could that was high in fat. And I proceeded to gain back every pound I had lost. I later found out that they had not tested the milk correctly. I have never lost all of the baby weight.

That said, I have at times been at a healthy weight. But I haven’t been able to maintain it. In the spring of 2009, I decided that it was time to do something. I weighed 152 pounds and was 50 years old. I still had a lot of things I wanted to do and didn’t want poor health to get in the way. And I had this real fear of developing diabetes. I had already been diagnosed with high blood pressure, just like my parents and five siblings. It’s just in the genes.

So, I started running. It went pretty well at first. But then I started having problems with muscle injuries. I did get down to about 127 pounds, but gained back about 6 of that the winter of 2010. At least I did not gain all of it back. I continued running, using the elliptical, lifting free weights, and using a BowFlex. But I still couldn’t lose the extra fat I had.

In February of 2011, I decided I needed to do something different. I wanted to be healthier and build my endurance. I went to Google and searched for my solution. I ended finding Memphis Adventure Boot Camp. I called Dexter and set it up my assessment. From the beginning, I new that this was a different type of workout program. Every day was different. Dexter had lots of nutritional information to give us. And the other women were wonderful. At my first assessment, I found out that my body fat percentage was 31.5%. Even though that is the high end of okay, I felt like that was way too high. After almost a year of boot camp, I had gotten my body fat to a little less that 20%, but had not lost weight on the actual scale.

So I decided to participate in Resolution Rescue. I felt a six week program would be long enough to really change some of my eating habits. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. The first four weeks, I tried to follow a primal eating plan, with some adaptation. I ate more dairy than recommended because I have osteopenia and wanted to be sure I got sufficient calcium. But I still didn’t feel like I was losing any more fat. Then we began the low carbohydrate days, and the weight really started coming off. Clothes started getting looser and I felt better than I had in a long time.

Even though I have a lot to learn, I feel like I have made a good start. I am exercising regularly, eating healthier, and enjoying it. I know I will not always eat perfectly, but I have the fundamentals to live a healthier life. And, hopefully, as I get older, I will be able to do have many more adventures.