Yes Folks, Halloween is around the corner; we go to the stores and see giants bags of candy and bakeries and cafes are pushing more than ever the fluorescent-orange frosted cupcakes and cookies. They even have drinks such as Pumpkin lattes. You are conflicted; your evil side wants your family and yourself to indulge into some good old sweet candy and chocolate that will make you go into a sugar shock but, your good side tells you that it’s about time to make some smart healthy choices. Below you will find some tips to make your festivities sugar shock free;

1. Pumpkin Carrot Muffins: A Halloween party needs a dose of appropriately orange-hued treats. Get festive without food coloring with these pumpkin carrot muffins; no one will know just how many vegetables these healthy Halloween treats are actually hiding! *

2. Healthy Caramel Apples: You may think that caramel apples are possibly one of the healthier Halloween options, but gobs of caramel can turn a formerly healthy apple into a less-than-diet-friendly dessert. Make a few modifications and shave hundreds of calories with this healthy caramel apple recipe from Muscle and Fitness Hers. *

3.Candied Spiced Pumpkin Seeds: ‘Tis the season for an abundance of pumpkin seeds. Instead of tossing them out, make a sweet, high-protein snack with this vegan candied spiced pumpkin seeds. *

4. Healthy Cookie Dough Balls: This recipe for healthy halloween cookie dough balls from Oh She Glows can be made in minutes and will satisfy any sweet tooth, stat. They are the quick perfect make-ahead for your Halloween get-together! *

5. Banana Ghost Pops: Get into the spirit with these cute (and easy to make) banana ghost pops. This recipe uses shredded coconut and orange juice to keep the calories down, but if you are looking for an even sweeter option, use melted white chocolate. *

6.Vegan Candy Corn:Candy corn may be ubiquitous during the Halloween season, but those tiny treats definitely don’t give you the best bang for your buck, calorie-wise (just 13 candy corn candy are only 100 calories!). If you’re a candy corn addict, try serving these homemade vegan candy corn candies at your next party for a less-processed, less-sugary treat. *For full recipes visit www.fitsugar.com/Healthy-Halloween-Treats-Your-Holiday-Party-20049603?

In addition, don’t forget to keep up with your workouts, walk with your kids while you go trick or treating instead of driving around the block. Engage yourself into healthy activities such as apple and pumpkin picking (you can burn up to 500 calories!). Finally pick a costume and enjoy the sweetest Holiday of the year!!!!!

-Samanta Maravi

What is Real Body LLC?

Real Body is a unique Bootcamp that offers small group classes, where you get a total body workout in one hour. Every class is different, you will be challenged with sports drills, boxing, plyometrics, speed and agility circuits and to balance it off we add pilates and yoga.

Why did you create Real Body LLC?

Having a background as a therapist specializing in career counseling my role is to help my clients make changes with their careers and lives. I was encouraged to create Real Body by a group of friends who believed I had a natural talent to help make people feel mentally and physically good. Combining the two roles was amazing. My goal is to help clients get their bodies back whether it’s helping a mom lose her pregnancy weight, a former athlete who wants to build stamina, a teen who wants to get in better shape or a child who wants to have fun with exercise. My goal is to provide our services for everyone.

What does Real Body offer?

Real Body offers Bootcamp classes seven days a week. We have monthly passes, six-week sessions, Zumba and Kids Bootcamp classes. Personal training and more. Recently I went for an intensive training in Pilates with IM=X. Real Body has partnered up with Dr. Magwood of IM=X Pilates to create the ultimate workout. The package is a combination of Bootcamp and Pilates reformer. Therefore clients are stretching and elongating their muscles in between sessions. We have several new programs in the works and we’re hoping to launch them in the fall. Currently we are in several locations in Montclair and now in Paterson.

What advice would you like to share for those who are weight conscious?

Turning fat into muscle is key. Once you build the muscles you will burn calories at rest. I believe the only way to maintain your weight, as you age is to have the right balance with exercise, strength training and making the right food choices.

I don’t deprive myself but I make sure to keep the right balance of lean protein, fruits and vegetables light on the carbs.

What are your goals with Real Body?

Recently we were grateful to receive a grant to provide our services to an underprivileged community. I would like to continue to piggyback on another Not for Profit that would be willing to have us provide the services at little or not cost. Specifically work with an organization that assists special children with needs.

What do you wish to accomplish with Real Body?

I recently began working with teens and it has been such a rewarding experience. They have lost weight and inches, look stronger and leaner and are feeling more confident. I recently started to incorporate exercise plans with some of my clients who suffer from depression. They are loving it! Feeling great and always looking forward to their next session.

Many teens suffer from insecurities and depression, adding exercise to their routine helps increase their confidence and self esteem. Literature proves that exercise changes the serotonin levels in the brain; a client may experience less depression from a consistent exercise routine. I would like to reach out to psychiatrists or outpatient clinics an encourage them to support this idea and act as a referral source for them.

You mentioned your first career as a psychotherapist /career counselor, tell us a little bit about that.

I have been working in New York City for over 15 years privately and I recently opened up a practice in the Chiropractic Wellness Studio in Clifton, NJ. I am a certified Rehabilitation Counselor with a background in Mental health and Rehabilitation. Many of the clients I see are referred by psychiatrists or social workers.
(Photo by Ricky Elman)

I consult for the MS Society in New York City where I provide career counseling seminars for individuals with multiple sclerosis.

What types of services do you offer?

I help clients find their dream jobs. I offer career counseling, assessments, career planning, resume and cover letter writing.

Interview skills prep, career coaching and case management.

What do you love about your jobs/businesses?

I love the people. I love helping people make changes with their bodies and careers. I can’t tell you how rewarding it is to get a call from a client from their new job and say, thank you because without you I would not be here today. Or recently I worked with a teen with special needs in Bootcamp who said, “I never felt this great before”. That was special. I am fortunate that I love my jobs.

Anything else you would like to share?

We are role models for our kids. They see us enjoying exercise and they want to get involved. It’s a great way to bond with your child and get them to understand the benefits of exercise.

Real Body is mobile therefore our unique services can be offered in many locations. Call us, we travel!
For more information contact;
Real Body LLC
Bernadette McLoughlin MA, CRC
www.realbodybootcamp.com
realbodybootcamp@gmail.com
For counseling:
counseling.crossroads@gmail.com

Summer is over and very soon we will be wearing sweaters, long pants, big coats and boots. For many people, it means that they will cover up their bodies so, they have no need to keep going to the gym, attending their bootcamps and any fitness classes. Because no one will notice if they gain a few pounds or if their bodies are not toned anymore. However, isn’t it the whole point of working out feeling confident about our bodies and increasing our energy levels all year long? If you answered YES then, what you need to do is find ways to stay motivated.

If you are struggling to stick with your weight loss or exercise program throughout the year, read on and analyze when, where and how you start loosing your motivation.
1. Set goals
Start with simple goals every season, every month and even every week. Remember to keep you goals realistic and achievable. It’s easy to get frustrated when your goals are too ambitious. For example, you can’t start running 10 miles a day, try to start with 1 or 2 a day.
2. Make physical activity part of your daily routine
You don’t only have to exercise at the gym or with your local bootcamp. Make smart fitness choices: take regular walks with your family or dogs, take the stairs instead of the elevator, park your car a little further away from the mall entrance. Possibilities are endless.
3. Be flexible
Maybe your diet is too strict and you feel deprived from not eating the foods that you love the most. Are you exercising 7 days a week, two times a day? Maybe you are doing more than you can handle. Even athletes need a day of rest. Remember everything needs to be done in moderation.
4. Bring your friends, family and neighbors.
Yes, join forces with people, the more the merrier. It’s a lot easier to keep your self on track when you have someone to work out with. You could be the one that bugs everybody else to get to class or you could be the one that is being drag to the work outs. It will give you something else to talk about, other than work, school, kids and all that blah blah blah that we always talk about.
5. Make it Fun!!
Variety is the spice of life and in order to get the best results your workout needs to be different, fun and it should kick your butt. However, if you are a Real Body Bootcamp member you do not need to worry about this one because we are all about keeping our classes fun; we regularly introduce new equipment to our students and new programs such as the Camp-lates. We do it all from agility, boxing, strengthening, conditioning, core, cardio, plyometrics and more. We are a unique team of Fitness Trainers; a Pilates instructor/Therapist, an Army Ranger and a Professional Dancer.

Now that you are enthusiastic again, get moving!! Set your goals, make it fun and pat yourself on the back from time to time.

-Samanta Maravi

Recently, our bootcampers have been working out like athletes. The Trainers at Real Body Bootcamp have been introducing new moves and new toys! Equipment such as agility ladder, cones, parachutes and mini hurdles are very well know in the sports training world and since we are all about variety and new challenges. We decided to incorporate them too. Why?? Because it’s an easy and fun way to improve; speed, coordination, strength and overall quickness.

Below you will find a couple of drills samples with each equipment. These drills are supposed to be perform after the warm up to ensure that the muscles will be loose enough to do quick movements and at the same time fresh to ensure quality of movement.

Agility Ladder:

In-Out Drill: basic drill to master but not less effective.Start with your feet hip width apart at the bottom of the ladder.Step into the first square with your left foot first, immediately followed by your right foot.With your left foot step outside to the left the second square, then immediately step outside the second square with your right foot.Step back into the third square with your left foot first, followed by your right foot. Repeat this pattern in fluid motion for the length of the ladder. You can also perform the same movement with feet together for about 2 min.

Ski-cross: more complex movement created to shift  way as fast as possible. Start facing the side of the ladder. Step into the first square with your right foot forward, left foot back and you weight mostly on your front leg. On the same square you will switch feet and continue all the way down. Make sure your pelvis stay low and grounded and that you use your arms. Repeat the movement for 2 min.

Agility Cones:

High Knee jumps: Set up 6 cones in a straight line about 1 1/2 ft apart.  Start at the the end of the    line and jump with feet together over each cone. Try not to bounce in between. Once you reach the end of the line run back to the beginning and start again for about 2 min.

Sprint wave: Set up about 8 cones about 4 ft apart. Sprint run waving  around the cones as fast as    possible. Stay low and grounded. Repeat the movement for about 2 min.

Parachutes:

According the Steve Silverman, “in order to work on improving speed, an athlete can do parachute training. A running parachute attaches to the back of an athlete much the same way that a back pack is worn. As you run, it unfurls and creates major resistance while sprinting. Go to your local high school or college track and sprint 100 yards, making the effort to keep running and not slow down or look back when you feel the resistance of the chute pulling you back. Go back to the starting line and run another sprint. However, this time when you get to the 50-yard mark, press the release button on the harness so the chute drops off. This will create a surge called “overspeed” and it will help you increase your speed and velocity.”

Mini Hurdles:

The best way to evenly space out your hurdles is to use the width of a hurdle as your measuring stick with that in mind… complete each drill 4 times before moving on to the next drill.

Run Throughs: This is the most basic of all the drills, requiring the athlete to run  through the     hurdles with good form keeping the feet dorsi-flexed while driving the knees and arms as if you were in mid-sprint.

Forward 2-Steppers:This drill requires the athlete to take two steps between  each of the hurdles in   a forward direction.  The most difficult part of this drill is keeping an even rhythm and avoiding “galloping”.  It is helpful when a coach or peer counts out the rhythm (1-2-3-4).  Switch starting foot for the second time through.

As you can see we are all about variety and our bootcampers are a living proof that these drills are sure to leave you sweaty and a great way to improve your overall fitness while having a blast doing it.

-Samanta Maravi

August 3rd, 2011 by admin | No Comments »

As a therapist-trainer I often hear plenty of reasons why someone missed a class or are finding it a challenge to leave the house. Possibly for the lack of motivation or drive to get started. In addition, the increase in temperatures and heat advisory make it almost impossible to have a desire to workout outdoors.

What can we do about this?

If you’re not a self-motivated person find a friend who is. Have them coach you and set dates to get out of the house and go for a walk or a jog.

Join a class together and always call each other to confirm. The idea of knowing that someone is expecting you sets the bar higher in establishing the commitment to follow through.

Establish consequences together i.e., if you are a no show after confirming, you need to take your friend out to lunch. I guarantee if you miss more than once it will get costly and remind your fitness goals.

Create weekly fitness goals together i.e., this week let’s walk three miles and add stairs or this week let’s shoot for two days of training. Whatever it is, it should be a joint effort.

Mix it up! Ask your friend to check out that Pilates or Bootcamp class you’ve always wanted to try. Research suggests anxiety levels decrease with peer support. If your friend is game, try it out together and have fun with it. It’s a great opportunity to meet new people and may get you out of that comfort zone.

How to find the right partner:

Search for a partner who shares similar goals, i.e., if you and your partner are both trying to lose weight, this gives you someone to compare notes with as far as how you’re doing with your exercise plan.

A tracker. Keep a food journal together. Sharing thoughts and feelings can provide a different perspective on what you’re having trouble with.

Talk to your friends or post on google plus with your circle of friends to find a good partner.

Once you get started it will be a lot of fun and exercising will no longer feel like a chore.

Start searching!

-Bernadette McLoughlin