Elite Body Fitness & Nutrition FL

What the Health??

Sun, 24 May 2020 18:19:50 GMT

Cardio - Core & Corona

Well, what a 8 weeks it has been for our little business, and it's not over yet. We are a true mom & pop facility, just the hubby & I and one other trainer to help us out. As I sit back now and look at the past 8 weeks that we were shut down, I can't help but think that in all of this there were lessons to be learned and changes to be made. First and foremost, I am so thankful for the business that we created 16 years ago and the amazing clients and members that we have. One day we were open and the next we received a notice stating all gyms and fitness centers are closed. My first thought was what the hell do we do now? After about an hour of panic and not gonna lie, some tears, I gathered myself together, and my husband and I got to work on formulating a plan to not only keep our members going but to keep ourselves going as well. We are firm believers that mental health and physical well being are tied together. We understood the mandate to close and protect ourselves & our members, but we also felt that now, when times are most stressful we all need an outlet. What better outlet is there than physical exercise? As I reflect back now, I realize several things:

1) I am not made for social distancing. I don't mean this in a disrespectful way, I can stay 6 feet away from someone and wear a mask if need be so please understand. What I mean is that seeing someone on a computer screen is just not the same. I am a social person. I am in this business because I genuinely like people and love what I do. My gym members are truly a second family to me and I thrive on taking time to talk to them and see how they are doing. I love that I know their children and have trained several of them or that they trust me enough to confide in me and I can often check in on them and see how they are doing- whether it is good times or bad. When we left the big gyms we were working at and decided we wanted our own place, it was based on helping people and not allowing them to slip through the cracks because they are just another number. We have achieved that and then some.

2) I forgot how much I love teaching. Let me explain: when I teach classes at Elite, I often write it on the board or call it out as we go and I instruct as I walk around and encourage my class and correct form and take the occasional dance break. Over the last 8 weeks I have had to teach and workout along with my classes on a video platform. I have had to be creative so we did not get stuck in a rut with the same exercises or the same routines and I had to get out of my comfort zone, which I often tell them to do. I have LOVED every minute of it. We changed the format of our Tuesday & Thursday night classes to a family class and geared it toward the kids for agility, speed and body weight strength. As adults, we had fun and got challenged along the way as well. We experimented with kick boxing, yoga, tabata and other fun work outs and the whole time we encouraged one another as only family can do. I think we all got out of comfort zone and found that change is good. All of our workouts involved cardio to help burn off the stress of the world and what was happening (and probably some of those extra calories we ate) and core work to help us stand tall and feel strong.

3) Change is good. I did a video blog a while back about consistency and whether we are consistently content or consistently committed. When all the Corona virus talk started, like most here in the US, I watched and never thought it would become what we have all been facing over the last few months. While I thought I was committed to growth and change. However, when I had no choice but to make changes or shut down, I realized maybe I had become a little content and comfortable, and I didn't like that. When faced with making sudden changes, I realized that there was a whole world of virtual training and platforms out there. These were things we have discussed, but that always got put on the to do list for another time, because we were comfortable with where we were. Looking back, I realize that had I been actively moving forward my stress and worry could have been lessened but instead, I had to hustle to catch up. Now, our amazing little business is going to be adding on and growing in a new direction.

I want to finish up by saying that I am a believer that God does not give us more than we can handle and that he challenges us to grow to potential that maybe we don't see in ourselves. At 50 years old, I find myself still growing and learning and accepting challenges that require not only physical growth, but spiritual and mental growth, as well. I pray we all can find strength and growth in this time of pandemic and crisis and that we all come out on the other side stronger, wiser and better. Remember, be healthy, be happy, and most of all please be kind.

Consistency- Content or Committed

Sun, 23 Feb 2020 23:45:07 GMT

Welcome to our 1st vlog. Today's topic:

Are you Consistent or content? Are you consistently content or consistently committed: to your workouts, your nutrition, your fitness?

Consistently content means you are content and happy with your routine and your fitness. You can get by day to day doing what you need to do and eat what you want to eat. Most people are not. I can not tell you how many times we hear, I am committed to the gym, I am constantly there, I work out, but I am not getting any results. Well, what are you doing when you are there? Are you doing the same machines and exercises at the same weight with the same reps? Are you doing cardio or are you having social time with your machine neighbor just trying to get through it? It is great that you are consistent at going to the gym, however, you have become content in your routine. Make sense?

It is the same with nutrition. However, this is where it gets a little more tricky. We are a society of quick fix and promises of quick fixes. When in reality, there is no such thing. If you can drop 10 lbs in 7 days imagine what you can gain when you stop. We believe in counting calories and macros in our house & we also believe in cheat meals and moderation so that our "lifestyle" is one we can maintain and not stress over when we are on vacation or out with friends. This blog gets a start on these topics and in the coming weeks we will continue to explore them a little more in depth.

I get more in depth in the above video.

Enjoy and hope you have a great day.

December Nutrition Challenge

Mon, 09 Dec 2019 21:21:14 GMT

DECEMBER NUTRITION

Happy December everyone. As we are closing in on the holidays and all that goes along with them, lets take a minute to stop and breathe. Feel better? Good! Now, lets talk about nutrition. Most of us think December and the holidays are the worst time to take a nutrition challenge, but I disagree. Why wait another month? After all, I am not talking about rearranging and completely redoing your nutrition. What I am saying, however, is small and sensible changes now will not only help us to not overindulge and regret it come the New Year, but will also take us into the New Year in a mind set of moving forward instead of starting from scratch. I always love the phrase "New Year - New You". Why do you have to wait til the new year to start on a new you? This is why I am proposing a nutrition challenge now, and we will continue to build on it in the coming year. So, let me lay this out for you: We will be posting weekly changes and adjustments with some tips and tricks along the way to help make those holiday parties and gatherings a little less stressful.

For this 1st step we are going to focus on 3 things--I promise nothing extreme or drastic, just some simple things to help.

1- Drink More Water

*Our bodies are 60% water and if you are feeling thirsty, then you are already starting to dehydrate.

*Water keeps our digestive systems moving and helps to satiate hunger

2- Eat More Fruits & Vegetables

*Try to add a fruit or vegetables to each meal and/or snack

3-Watch Sugar

*Limit or cut out sugary drinks

*Read labels: you will be surprised where you will find hidden sugars.

*Try to stick with whole foods cutting down on processed items.

There they are--3 steps. You can choose to change one of these things in your daily nutrition or do all three steps at the same time. The goal is really to make small changes you will stick with and continue to follow. I want to encourage you to use this as a stepping-stone, since nutrition is not a one size fits all kind of thing. This is not a diet of any form; it is simple nutritional advice to help you eat better and feel better.

If you are looking for a certain nutrition program or have specific goals, please feel free to message us via the Contact Us page. Also, please visit our You Tube channel and follow our nutrition challenge and videos, via the link below.

Thank you for taking the time to read our 1st blog on our new site and please feel free to comment below or reach out to us and let us know any further topics you may enjoy.

Happy December and Merry Christmas,

Mark, Tracey & Flex