Jul 15
13
How This Single-Mom Lost 30 Pounds!
I can’t help but chuckle whenever I hear what clients think before they step onto our workout floor in Santa Clarita also known as “Big Blue”.
In one form or another it goes something like this – “I wasn’t sure if I could do the workouts and keep up with them.”
That’s exactly what ran through Renee Ruiz’ mind when she decided to come to Fit Body Boot Camp. Being a single-mom with a daily commute didn’t leave her much time to commit to proper eating. And regular exercise?? Forget about it.
Before she knew it the pounds packed on and Renee found herself at her heaviest weight, feeling tired and sluggish. She decided it was time to do something about it and started coming to boot camp at 6:05 or 6:40 in the morning. She started to see some results but it wasn’t until she committed to a 6-week challenge that things changed for her.
By focusing on meal planning, working out more consistently, lifting heavy, and increasing accountability Renee had a major breakthrough…she was able to lose 30 pounds and 4 sizes!
"This is the smallest I've ever been!"
I asked Renee how she’d motivate the old Renee or what she’d have to say to anyone else who’s still not sure if boot camp will help with their weight loss goals. Here’s what she said…
“It changed my life in many ways and I’m so much stronger than when I started. You should do it.”
Everyone is busy with life. If you’ve reached the point where you’re tired of feeling tired and believe you’re ready to become the best version of you give me a call (661 505-8193). Let me know how I can help you change your life and become stronger.
Committed to your success,
-Johnny
Posted in Fitness by .
I don’t usually go ga-ga over appliances but never say ‘never’.
It all started 2-years ago with a phone call from my mom…
“Son.
Yeah mom.
Your dad and I bought an oven from tv do you want it?
You bought an oven from tv? Ummm no thanks.
But it’s nice. You’ll like it.
We don’t have room for it mom. Thanks though.”
YES it cooks frozen food!
A few days after that call I went to visit my brother in Northern California and he had the very same oven my mom was trying to give us. I laughed “You let mom sucker you into that thing?!”
My brother said it was pretty cool and that I should give it a try. So that’s what I did. I test drove this thing for a week while I was there. The very first thing we threw in was a rack of ribs. I mumbled under my breath “we’re not gonna eat until an hour” as I set the oven and let ‘er rip.
30-minutes is all it took and the ribs were done! I was like “whaaaat?” Not only were they done but they were really juicy and tasty. I thought it was a fluke, so I committed to putting this thing through the ringer and made dinner every night.
Lamb chops, grass fed steaks, burgers, pork chops, salmon fillets, chicken breast and even FROZEN chicken drumsticks ALL came out quick and delicious.
AGGHHH! I could feel the tide turning. I could cook things fast. I didn’t have to wait to defrost stuff. I was starting to like this thing.
After my one-week visit I flew back home to So-Cal and tucked my tail between my legs and called my mom.
“Mom.
Hi son.
Uh do you still have that oven you wanted to give us?
Why? You want in now?
Only if you still have it. I tried it out at Mike’s and it’s pretty good.
See I told you you’d want it. Ya, it’s in the garage. You better come get it this weekend because your aunty saw it and said she wanted it.
No don’t give it to her. We’ll be there this weekend.”
And that’s how I came to be the proud owner of my first NuWave oven. I used it everyday to make healthy meals. We stopped cooking with our oven and quite often didn’t even use our stove. If it was a car it would have been like driving it a hundred miles a day. That thing was a work-horse.
Like lots of things you use hard everyday, things are bound to break. That sad day came a few months ago when I went to turn on my NuWave for some pork chops and it wouldn’t turn on.
I reset the outlet, checked the plug and nothing but silence and cold pork chops. I was like “NO it’s dead! How am I gonna cook?” I was a little freaked out about the situation.
I know you can order from the company but I didn’t want to wait for delivery. Bed Bath and Beyond had them on their website but didn’t carry them in-store where I could use my 20% off coupon. “AGGGGHHH!”
I’m not sure why, but I typed Kohls into my browser and there it was – NuWave Pro in-stock and in-store. No waiting? Heck yeah, get in the car let’s go.
Now that the balance has been restored and I’m on my 2nd oven you can bet I’m gonna run this one into the ground as well. If you don’t have a lot of time like lots of my boot camp clients in Santa Clarita, it’s the perfect thing for cooking at home. Please don’t be a knuckle-head like me and poo-poo it. Just go try it. It may end up being something you can’t live without too.
Spicy Pork Chop
Posted in Recipes by .
“Your blood sugar is 106 and you’re pre-diabetic.”
Not exactly the scenario we envision when we go to the doctor for a check-up, but those are the words Brenna McNeil’s doctor told her last fall.
That’s when I got the text from Brenna saying she wanted to come back to boot camp after taking some time off.
Sure many of us have the best of intentions when we say we’re going to take some time off or try something else but as so often happens LIFE was starting to have it’s way.
Brenna quickly found herself carrying around extra weight which led to all sorts of excuses to stay home instead of participating in things with family and friends.
That meant NO beach, NO shorts, and NO short sleeves.
The only time Brenna felt truly comfortable enough to go out and do things was in cold weather when she could cover up (living in Santa Clarita it’s not like we have a ton of cold weather).
Now just to be extra-devious Life tried to sabotage her by planting seeds of self-doubt in her head before she even started…
“I don’t think I can do it.”
I don’t think I can lift heavy.”
But Brenna stuck to her guns told that voice to “shut up” and stepped onto the big blue floor at boot camp.
In that time she has found the strength and confidence to burn off 32 pounds, 11% bodyfat, 5 sizes AND dropped her blood sugar 20 points to 86!
Here’s the crazy thing…she did it on a meal plan that let her knock back ice blended mocha’s, bean burrito’s, fries, burgers, brownies and coffee ice cream with peanut butter on top.
What she’ll tell anyone who finds themselves on the fence about getting started is “Just give it a try. You have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Whether your doctor has told you you’re pre-diabetic, you use the cold weather to cover up too, or you just don’t think you can do it, give me a call 661 505-8193 and try a workout on me. Sometimes that’s all it takes to give you the confidence to find your strength and confidence.
Committed to your success,
-Johnny
Posted in Fitness by .
May 15
6
Life’s Different 45 Pounds Later
There’s something to be said about people who Feel The Fear and Do It Anyway. Success usually follows.
One of our boot campers, Marie Wiles from Santa Clarita, is a perfect example of acting in spite of fear leading to success.
She told me before boot camp…
“I wasn’t making wise choices with what I ate nor was I exercising enough to keep myself healthy. I’ve always had blood pressure and cholesterol issues and basically wasn’t doing anything to even help that.
Like so many moms I lived life doing things for other people and left myself last constantly.”
Here’s what happened for Marie…
“In my first 10 weeks of boot camp I lost 10lbs.
I’ve now lost 45lbs and gone from a size 14 to a 2 (sometimes a size 0)!
I have tone in my muscles that I haven’t experienced since my very active college days. I especially noticed the fat from my back, arms and love handles subside. I remember always avoiding taking a picture because I didn’t like what I saw.”
Just recently Marie dug up a picture of she and her kids from a 2011 issue of Santa Clarita Magazine.
When she showed me the picture she was horrified that it was even in a magazine.
But now she considers it her “before” picture, and a reminder of how far she’s come and where she doesn’t want to go back to. Way to go Marie!
Acting in spite of fear really does lead to success.
I tried to figure out Marie’s “secret-formula” then she just told me.
“Everybody just needs to face their fears because they will realize that little-by-little there will be results and in time those little results get added up to make a big difference.
I really dragged my feet to start boot camp but saw results because of it that brought a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
I now know that everything I told myself before was just an excuse for not wanting to deal with my own health and well-being.”
Marie’s journey has been such an inspiration to watch. As she kept reaching the goals she set for herself you could see a different Marie emerge. The new Marie is filled with energy and enthusiasm. In fact she has so much of it she’s now one of our amazing coaches.
Being a mom isn’t easy. If you’re dragging your feet and need a shot of inspiration to jumpstart your journey come try a workout with a lady who knows what it was like to be on the back burner. Just shoot us an email at SCFitBody@gmail.com.
Committed to your success,
John
Sexy arms, toned arms, tight arms, arms that you love when you look in the mirror. You want them right? Well I’m gonna show you a pretty damn effective way to do that, without doing a single dumbbell or barbell curl (which booooooores me to tears).
I said this was effective but by no means is it going to be easy. I’m going to assume you can do pullups; assisted is fine, unassisted is even better. DO NOT let an inability to do pullups (for now) stop you from crushing the heck out of this and getting the arms you’ve dreamt of.
Now if I haven’t scared you away, then let’s get into it. Say “hello” to Frenchie Pullups. “The heck is that ?” you ask…
Frenchie pullups are a pullup variation I discovered when I took up the sport of bouldering, which is rock climbing without ropes on small-ish climbing routes. If you want to get better at bouldering you have to get better at something called a “lockoff” – holding your elbow flexed in a static position so you can grab onto another hold.
The Frenchie works because it puts you into 4 lockoff positions that make you freakin’ Godzilla-strong for climbing but for non-climbers will tone your arms like crazy.
So how’s it work?
- Do a lockoff (I like to do :05, but you can play with the time) at 0-degrees
- Descend completely and do a full pullup, locking off at 45-degrees for :05
- Lower yourself all the way and come up to a full pullup, locking off at 90-degrees for :05
- Drop all the way down again and come up, locking off this time at 120-degrees x :05
- Come down completely again, do a pullup and you’re done
1 – 5 equals ONE rep. Seriously. Work your way up to 5 reps for sets of 3-4. Rest as much as you need in-between reps or sets. When 3-4 sets is a cinch – add weight to your Frenchies!
You can also play with grip widths, offset grips, doing them from towels or balls too. Give yourself adequate recovery time between workouts for this. The key to all of this is just start, and be persistent with it, you will see results.
The vid below is exactly how we do them at my boot camp in Santa Clarita.
Leave me a comment or question below, or shoot me an email (SCFitbody@gmail.com). I wanna know how this works for you.
Committed to your success,
-Johnny
Posted in Fitness by .
John Bocobo from Santa Clarita Fit Body Boot Camp Shares an Inspiring Story
I was recently invited to appear on SCV Today to share a story about a rare virus and the journey it took to recover , rebuild, and find my soul purpose by bringing group personal training to Santa Clarita with Fit Body Boot Camp.
Much Mahalo to SCV Today hosts Dave Caldwell and Tami Edwards for their hospitality.
Click the pic below to watch the episode. The interview starts at 31:00.
Posted in Mindset by .
Dec 13
12
Wear THIS, Burn Fat
Do you get that anxiety when you know you’ll be staying at a hotel and start wondering?…
I hope they have a gym.
Believe me when you’re used to working out regularly, sometimes traveling or just plain old life in Santa Clarita just gets in the way and keeps you from getting your melt on.
Even as a personal trainer that question still pops in my mind whenever it’s time to hit the road.
That’s why I put together this quick and easy workout you can do pretty much anywhere, all you’ll need is a backpack.
Now go grab a bunch of books, magazines, clothes, bottled water or even groceries and stuff your sack. Be sure to adjust the straps so the pack sits high and if your backpack has a chest strap use it to help secure the load.
Ready to bring it?
Here’s the 10-10 Backpack Burner:
- 2 exercise pairings
- 10 repetitions for each exercise
- 2, 10-minute rounds
- do as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) in 10-minutes
Workout 1 – backpack pushups and backpack squats. We’re going after some fat burning for your core, arms, shoulders, butt and thighs.
Workout 2 – backpack bent-over rows and backpack deadlifts. This sequence will target your arms, upper back, core, hips and hamstrings.
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It’s not perfect but it works and the way to get the most out of this type of workout (remember the AMRAP part?) is to seriously push to get as many rounds as you can in each 10-minute round.
Let me know how this workout works for you the next time you’re on the road or just need something to “mix it up” in the comments section below.
Be UNSTOPPABLE!
John
Posted in Fitness by .
For the better part of a year I’ve incorporated a new affirmation in my daily affirmations.
“NO EXCUSES”
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Moving yourself forward and improving yourself is an ongoing daily exercise. Like many things in life. Right?
Stray from the practice and things start to slide.
Stay committed day-to-day and awesome things start to happen.
For me to really GSD (as my mentor says) “NO EXCUSES’ is the kick in the pants on the days when I’m not feeling it.
One of the areas of my life that has opened up the door for excuses is when I travel.
It’s really easy to say “the heck with my workout” and just go sight-seeing or put myself on lockdown for work stuff.
BUT…
- I also know that I’m a happier person when I workout
- I can concentrate better
- I have more energy
- and I feel really freaking good
A few weeks ago I was in the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego to meet with my Mastermind group.
Did I workout while I was there?
YES, because I told myself “NO EXCUSES” I’m going to do this.
Here’s what I did, and you can use it the next time you’re traveling too.
GASLAMP GASSER
3030 Tabata
Round 1 – Work = Spiderman pushup, Active Rest = Shooter
Round 2 – Work = Goblet side lunge, Active Rest = Stability ball cobra
Round 3 – Work = Renegade row, Active Rest = Shooter
Round 4 – Work = 1-Arm Dumbbell Clean, Active Rest = Stability ball cobra
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Keep in mind Tabata’s work best when you push hard. I love them because they’re quick and to the point.
If you’re already pretty solid with the “NO EXCUSES” thing when it comes to fitness, don’t forget, you can apply that principle to other areas of your life that aren’t exactly where you want them to be.
Rock On!
John
Posted in Fitness by .
Have you ever been at the grocery store and just kinda went into a shopping orgy, only to come home and go “WTF?!” as you’re putting stuff away?”
That’s how I found myself staring at 3 huge red, yellow, and green peppers.
I took a deep breath and that’s when the wheels started turning. I grabbed all the stuff below, because the voices in my head were telling me to make Curry Quinoa Stuffed Peppers.
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YOU’LL NEED THIS
1 cup wild rice
1 cup quinoa
1/2 onion chopped fine
2 stalks of celery chopped
garlic
1 can garbanzo beans
1 medium sweet potato diced
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
4 cups veggie broth
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp curry powder
pepitas
salt and pepper
4 bell peppers with tops cut off
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THEN DO THIS
- preheat the oven to 35o degrees
- microwave the sweet potatoes for 2 minutes and set aside
- saute garlic, onion, celery, and curry powder in coconut oil until onions turn translucent
- add wild rice and quinoa and saute for another 2 minutes
- add veggie broth and simmer until the liquid is almost gone (you’ll want to taste the rice and quinoa, if you find they’re too hard, add 1/2 cup more broth and simmer until grains are cooked to desired doneness
- turn the heat off and fold in the garbanzos, sweet potatoes, and sun dried tomatoes
- adjust seasoning with salt and pepper
- fill the peppers with the rice quinoa mixture and replace the tops
- bake the peppers on a sheet tray for 25-30 minutes
- serve with the pepper tops off and garnish with pepitas
and BOOM!
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This dish was a total accident and it was really good. What I like about it is, that it’s meatless, but still packs a protein punch from the quinoa, garbanzos, and sun dried tomatoes. Great stuff for “putting the proteins into the muscles” after a workout as my mentor Bedros Keuilian says.
Try this recipe out and let me know what you think, or if you have your own stuffed pepper recipes, leave me a comment below.
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Be UNSTOPPABLE!
John
Posted in Recipes by .
Use this white bean hummus instead of creamy dressings or cheese in your sandwich. The hummus is filled with protein and fiber – both important for building your best body.
Servings: 8
Here’s what you need:
- 2 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- dash of salt
- Throw everything into the food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Spread onto bread or use as a dip for cut veggies.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 124 calories, 1.6g fat, 20g carbohydrate, 5.5g fiber, and 7g protein.
Let me know how you like this hummus recipe and what you’ve paired it with in the comments section below.
Be UNSTOPPABLE!
John
Posted in Recipes by .
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