Exercise Less, Relax More

Photo Credit:Fizzy Text

When I was younger around 18 to 23 I had all the time in the world to workout as long as I wanted.  I would organize my day around packing and timing my meals, and scheduling my workouts…basically I devoted my day to training and eating right.

As time went on and life became more complicated wife, kids, dog, 3 cats, a couple of businesses…I had to get focused on what worked and what was a waste of time.

If you feel like your day is completely frazzled with busyness, then this site is for you.  My goal in creating this site is that you can visit here, and on my Twitter account for quick and effective tips to get you lean, while not interfering with your already busy life.

Visit this site, grab the tips, do the workouts, leave a comment or question if you like…and then get out there and enjoy life.

Stick with me, and you’ll soon learn that exercise and diet aren't as complex as so many of the “so-called” fitness experts try to sell you.

 

Healthy Green Tea Smoothie for St. Patrick's Day

 

Matcha Green Tea Smoothie

Servings:   1 large or 2 small

Ingredients: Matcha green tea

1 tsp Hot water

¼ cup Banana

½ cup Coconut milk

½ cup Low-fat cottage cheese

½ cup Low-fat plain yogurt

½ cup Vanilla whey protein

1 scoop (equal to 25 g protein)

1 tsp Pure vanilla extract

2 cups Ice

Instructions:   Add matcha to 2 tbsp of hot water.  Mix with a fork until matcha is completely dissolved.  Add remaining hot water, stirring constantly.  Combine all ingredients in a countertop blender.  Blend on high until mixture is smooth and creamy. Variations and Options: To add a little zip to this already great smoothie, use ½ teaspoon fresh ginger (grated).  If you are lactose intolerant or wish to avoid dairy, replace the ½ cup cottage cheese and ½ cup yogurt with ½ cup unsweetened soy milk and ½ cup water or ½ cup protein powder and ½ cup lactose-free, plain yogurt.  Alternatively, you can substitute with non-cow’s milk dairy (e.g. goat’s milk).

Love this recipe?  Purchase your own copy of the Gourmet Nutrition cookbook to have access to all 200 pages of healthful  and tasty recipes.  

"You're Fired!" Fitness and Fat Loss are Not Part Time Jobs

Eating right and exercising must be done on a consistent basis.  Think of brushing your teeth, or working at a job.  Half-assed attempts will either cause lousy teeth, or get you fired.

Exercise is the same thing.  Do it some days and you'll get some results.  Fit exercise into your day just like brushing your teeth, and your body will thank you with strength and a vibrancy to take on the world.

Don't pussyfoot around, take charge and get moving.

Can Losing Fat and Keeping a Lean Body Really be Learned?

Having a recent boot camp class come to an end and with some challenges attached to it, I've been taking some time for looking inside myself.

As you notice on my website there are no flashy, bold headlines, or notices to "grab this special offer" type promotions.

From a marketing stand point, you could call me stupid, since if you believe what the top internet marketers tell you, my site would be way down on the scale for "converting customers" and other sales terms.

As a teacher and a coach it saddens me to see how the public is ripped off by scams and promises.  

To actually get lean and stay lean, which most people are striving for...real, hard work must be applied.

A deeper learning of oneself must be mastered, and a lifelong commitment must be made to eating right, and moving more.

There are no shortcuts, and no excuses.  Put in the hard work, eat clean, and recuperate...and you will achieve what you desire.  Miss one of these, or try to fool yourself and skip one of these, and you will never make it.

Fat Burning Cardio Workout

Here's a great video example of a fat burning cardio program that I've been suggesting to my clients for a long time.

These are sprints for 20 seconds and then rests for 10. Back and forth between work and rest for a total of 5 minutes (or 10 total sprints).

You may need to work up to this program.

Workout courtesy of Precision Nutrition.

Post Workout Snack

I'm often asked "What should I eat?"

Well, here's a quick example of what I just ate after my workout.

4 eggs, yel bell pepper, with a little bit of salt and garlic, with coconut oil...topped with hot salsa and a side of broccoli...handful of cashews missing from picture

 

Lose Fat and Give Back

I’m sure that like me you have noticed how fat our children are getting.  I can remember when I was a kid in grammar school there were 1 or 2 kids who were obese.  These days from what I see at both my kids’ schools I’d say that about 40% are obese, and I might be underestimating that.

I’ve had enough and I’ve begun to work on the problem.

At my son’s school, he’s in the 4th grade, the needs seem to be $ for equipment such as balls, jump ropes, etc., and people hours to simply play and instruct the kids.  I can’t speak for other schools, but at my son’s school they have P.E. only once per week.  That’s crazy.  With our ever increasing “sit on your butt playing video games, or on the computer”, the need for exercise and a balanced life is even more important.

My goals are to:

·         Set up Personal Physical Education Plans for each student

·         Purchase necessary equipment

·         Provide Resources and Courses for Current P.E. Staff

·         Increase the Time that Kids Spend Exercising

·         Inspire Kids to Make Exercise and Healthy Eating a Life Long Habit

 

Here’s what I’m up to, and here’s how you can help.

First of all I will be conducting a 3 week fat-loss boot camp.  We start Monday February 16 either 5:45a-6:30a or the evening class is 6:00pm-6:45pm.  The evening class is almost filled.  The before work class could take some more people.  The camp will be help at my son’s school which is Aveson Charter School in Altadena. (It’s at the end of Allen if you are familiar with the Pasadena area.)

The cost for the 3 weeks is $135.00.  10% of your fee will be donated to the P.E. program. (The first two camps will be 3 weeks long due to the school vacation schedule.)

You can visit www.bootcamppasadena.com for more details.

Secondly I’ve set up deals with various vendors whereby when you visit www.bootcamppasadena.com  or http://avesonpeactionteam.blogspot.com/and either order a book or equipment, the P.E. program at Aveson will receive a 10-15% commission.

Please visit those sites and know that your purchases are going to help get kids healthy.

That’s it for today.

I’ll be quite busy getting these things up and running, plus I’ve begun studying for my Level 1 Certification as a Youth Specialist.

P.S.  If you have any ideas, on how you might like to make a contribution please contact me.

One way to help out the kids is to make a cash donation.  Any amount is helpful.  Simply click on the "Donate" button below. 

Personal Training Options for the New Year

The beginning of a new year has arrived and that means you are probably setting new goals to lose fat and take better care of yourself.

As I was taking my son to school this morning I realized that there are many options in training and fat loss assistance that you might not be aware of.  I’d like to go over a few of these options, and show you how they can help.

1 on 1 Sessions

For the past 14 years of so, the main way that I’ve been helping clients has been through one on one sessions.   Hands on training with immediate correction and encouragement are the most helpful for many of my clients.  Knowing that I am going to show up at your house so you can’t flake is what many people need to stay on track.

I’ve found that one on one sessions are the best option for those who are serious about sticking to a consistent training program and for those who lead very busy lives.  Most of my clients who train this way don’t want to think about creating their own program.  I show up, put them through their custom workout for the day, and they are right back to doing what they do best.  For some clients this may mean working from home, having more time with their family, or spending more time at the job.  Our session time together reenergizes the rest of their day.

Pro’s: Convenient, saves time driving to and from gym, proper alignment during exercises, variety of exercise equipment, encouragement

Con’s:  Cost, need to live in the Pasadena area

Cost: ($45 - $55 for 30 minutes)

 

Personalized Workout of the Month (2 options)

This is a great option for those looking for a customized program, but don’t need or can’t afford meeting one on one.

How this works… You and I will discuss what your goals are and I will develop a complete program for the month.  This will include nutrition, cardio, stretches, and weight training.

One on One Option:  We will meet once a month and I will put you through your actual workout, check in with your goals and your progress, answer any questions, and look over your training plan for the month.

Pro’s: Accountability, variety in training program, hands on correction of techniques, cost effective, custom program design

Con’s:  None

Cost: $79 a month

 

Online Option:  With this option you will receive most of the benefits of the 1 on 1 option, but we will not be meeting or training in person.  You will have access to this site, www.hyperstrike.com, where you will log in and receive the program that I have designed for you. Have a look at the www.hyperstrike.com site and you’ll see just what a great option this is.

Pro’s:  Accountability, variety in training program, cost effective, custom program design, community interaction, exercise videos and demonstrations, FitScore, complete nutrition plan with daily menus and recipes

Con’s: No hands on training.

Cost: $37 a month

 

Small Group Sessions

This works best when there are two or more people who have the same goals, such as fat-loss.  So say that you are a couple, or you and a few girlfriends can get together for 30 minutes 2 or 3 times a week, it’s a great way to save money plus with a partner or more participants you can all keep one another on track and encouraged.

Pro’s: Saves money, convenient, saves time driving to and from gym, proper alignment during exercises, variety of exercise equipment, encouragement from friends in your group

Con’s:  Must live in the Pasadena area.

Cost: Varies on number of participants.

 

Virtual Training

Using streaming video such as iChat, or Skype I will have a video camera shooting me, and you will have your video camera on you.  I’ll demonstrate the exercise and then watch you as you perform the movement.  We’ll go through a complete 30 minute session just like the 1 on 1 sessions, but all will be done via web camera.

Pro’s: Saves money, convenient, saves time driving to and from gym, proper alignment during exercises, instant feedback and encouragement, accountability, training variety, can be done anywhere you have a web cam and internet connection such as hotel, etc.

Con’s:  None that I’m aware of.

Cost:  $25 per session

 

Now you can see that there are different options but all of them have the same purpose…to help you lose fat, get healthy; improve your energy, or whatever else your goal may be.

Please take a few minutes to realize just how precious your health is, and if one of these options is something that you think could work or help you, then contact me.

You can try any of the programs for a complete month, and if you aren’t 100% satisfied, I will return your money, no questions asked.

Take action today, don’t put this off.

 

Are You on Twitter Yet?

Just a quick post to let you know that I've been

using Twitter quite a bit lately - and if you're

using it, you should follow me.

 

I'm going to be using it to collaborate with others,

start discussions, and get input from readers like you... and I'd REALLY

like it if you were connected to me.

 

(Twitter is free, and it's simple to use... very

low hassle factor, and very cool that it's free.)

 

Here's a good "quickstart" primer from Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos...

on how to get started in just a few minutes:

 

http://twitter.zappos.com/start

 

My Twitter name is "stephencooper".

 

Just click "find people" at the top after you

register, and search "stephencooper"... then click

"follow"... and you'll get my "Tweets" when I

send them out.

 

Send me a note to say hello inside of Twitter

once you're on.

 

And finally, learn how to USE Twitter. It's

getting big, and it's going to be an important

way to stay in touch with customers

in the future.

 

A Special Welcome to Readers of the Pasadena Star News

I just got back from training a client this morning, and was happy to see that my article appeared in the Pasadena Star News.  Yes, even on Christmas eve I saw a client at 7am…but she’s a great client who I’ve been training for over 10 years.

So to those of you visiting me from the Star News article this morning, I want to personally welcome you to my site.

Having lived here in Pasadena since 1972, the Star News has been a consistent part of my morning routine. 

As we all know there are a lot of scams and outrageous promises with “my” industry.  These hucksters are all about promoting outrageous claims of miracle pills, or the “lose 30 pounds in 30 days diet”.

The good news is that you really can be lean and healthy.  If you are ready to stop being fooled by the next diet of the month, or similar hype, then you’ve come to the right place.  If you were hoping for miracle pills or other celebrity endorsed, cutely named fitness programs, then this site or my in-home personal training is not right for you.

You can check out my "about me" page for more details such as certifications and the like.

By all means if you have any questions, I’d love to hear from you.  I hope that you’ll consider me as a truthful resource when it comes to your fitness related questions.  You can contact me here.

If you’d like to see more articles, or would like a “Ask The Trainer” type column in the Star News, please let them know. (Contact Catherine Gaugh, the Features Editor at (626) 962-8811 ext 2479, or via email at: catherine.gaugh@sgvn.com .  I do see a need for it, as there is so much confusion and misinformation about exercise and training.

I also offer an occasional email newsletter where you can receive the latest info on what it really takes to be lean and healthy.  You can sign up right here. 

Click here.

 

I realize that you are very busy just like me, so I keep the emails to a minimum, and you can always cancel if you don’t receive value from them.

And lastly…A Very Merry Christmas to You!

Sincerely,

Stephen 

P.S. Follow me on Twitter to ask questions and get the most up to date tips and strategies on fat loss and exercise.

Paasdena Star News Dec. 24, 2008

 

2009 Pasadena Marathon Registration is Open

My son and I were registered for the 2008 Pasadena Marathon (the bike portion), but it was canceled due to smoke from the many wildfires we had burning.

Well, the 2009 Pasadena Marathon is now open for registration.  It is scheduled for March 22, 2009.  I will definitely sign up again, and I look forward to riding my bike through the streets of Pasadena.

Drop me a line if you'll be riding or running.

Real Health

Through my years as a trainer and also someone who has been working out for a long time, my ideas of "health" have changed.  From the time that I was 16-22 years old, my idea of health was to get as buff as possible, doing everything and anything just short of taking steroids. I took countless supplements, powders, pills, everything you could imagine to get big. 

As I'm in my forties now, my idea of health is being able to call on my body to perform just like I could when I was in my twenties.  I'm happy to report that my body does respond.  I feel as strong, possibly even stronger today that I did 20 years ago.

I just sent out a message on Twitter (in case you aren't getting those updates, you can follow me here) in which I commented on my healthy afternoon snack.

Today, health for me is enjoying a snack of great tasting dark chocolate from TCHO and an Asian pear.