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ROD

Sunday, 01Jan12

 

Happy New Year !!

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Why New Year resolutions don’t work and what to do about it?

In 2011 we should be going in with a little bit modified approach. Instead of making a huge list on what your going to do or not, plan the habits that you will be implementing. It takes around 30 days to implement a habit, which means if you start tomorrow, next year you could be implementing 12 new habits, one habit at a time.

So why New Year resolutions don’t work? There are 3 main reasons what people do wrong when they are setting their new year resolution. Main reason number 1, you bite more than you can chew. People spread them out too much, they make it so next year they want to be good at EVERYTHING. If you are to follow your new year resolution, you would need to work all the time on achieving your goals alone in the entire of your next year, hence most of those types of resolutions fail miserably.

So if you spent entire of your year, losing pounds, quiting smoking and getting out of debts when will you have free time? Life is huge and long, so fix what’s broken one thing at the time and commit yourself to it, especially if you are new at committing yourself to your goals.

Reason number 2, they are to ambitious. People set high standards and set themselves highest goals possible and expect to achieve them in 365 days? Entire life is needed for excellence, I am not saying it’s not possible to lose 80 pounds in a year, or to quit smoking from the get go, it requires strong will and even stronger commitment to your goal, but setting high standards can lead you to bad feelings about yourself. And when you get depressed about failed goals, many people return to previous pattern of behaviour.

And lets get to the third and most important reason – people simply don’t care about what they’ve promised to themselves. Many people make resolutions just for the sake of it and because everyone else seems to be doing it, and they forget it after first new years eve hangover. I believe you don’t want to be this kind of people, simply because you are here and you take your improvement of your life seriously.

So how to fix your new years resolution? By keeping it as simple as possible. We should be managing new years resolutions for quite a while and each year I can set more goals, but if you are beginner, stick to only one and be committed to achieving it. Don’t think in actions, think in habits. Habits are the most awesome and the best way to remain on the right track. Don’t try to hard to do what you have planned, take your time and develop a habit, when this occurs results will come over time and achievement will come naturally by itself. We’ve grown up in the world were glorification of instant satisfaction of needs is encouraged. Forcing people into buying new products, our marketing culture thought us that, what they didn’t teach us is commitment to their goals.

For this year we encourage you to take on your resolution and think about it. When you gave it a good thought, think of how you can make a habit of it and how to implement it in your daily lives. Than we challenge you to make a commitment, by publicly announcing your new years resolution by telling all of your closest friends what you decided for next year, and ask them to hold you accountable for it! So instead of only issuing a task I am officially making my New Year Resolutions with you: “We are making a strong commitment to our members that we will give them the best in health and conditioning and to help them reach their wellness resolutions.

Happy New Year everyone and stick to your New Year resolutions!

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ROD

Sunday, 25Dec11

 

Rest Day… 

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We here at Next Level wish all of you a MERRY CHRISTMAS.

 

 

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ROD

Thursday, 22Dec11

 

******Holiday Schedule******

Starting tonight we will ONLY have one evening training session per night at 7:30pm.  We will resume our normal schedule on Tuesday January 2, 2012.

Morning , weekend and athlete training sessions will NOT be affected.

Thank you,

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year

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Three French Hens

Let’s burn off the the holiday cheer we’ve packed on so far!

This metabolic conditioning should do the trick!

6 rounds of 20 seconds work/10 seconds rest

  • Reclines
  • Battling ropes
  • Dumbbbell snatches (alt. sides at each round)
  • Kettlebell swings
  • Dumbell push presses
  • Burpees

Let’s do this circuit style with 1:00 between each round.

If you’re doing this right, you should be begging for the 1:00 rest

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Stress, depression and the holidays: Tips for coping

Stress and depression can ruin your holidays and hurt your health. Being realistic, planning ahead and seeking support can help ward off stress and depression.

The holiday season often brings unwelcome guests — stress and depression. And it’s no wonder. The holidays present a dizzying array of demands — parties, shopping, baking, cleaning and entertaining, to name just a few.

But with some practical tips, you can minimize the stress that accompanies the holidays. You may even end up enjoying the holidays more than you thought you would.

Tips to prevent holiday stress and depression

When stress is at its peak, it’s hard to stop and regroup. Try to prevent stress and depression in the first place, especially if the holidays have taken an emotional toll on you in the past.

  1. Acknowledge your feelings. If someone close to you has recently died or you can’t be with loved ones, realize that it’s normal to feel sadness and grief. It’s OK to take time to cry or express your feelings. You can’t force yourself to be happy just because it’s the holiday season.
  2. Reach out. If you feel lonely or isolated, seek out community, religious or other social events. They can offer support and companionship. Volunteering your time to help others also is a good way to lift your spirits and broaden your friendships.
  3. Be realistic. The holidays don’t have to be perfect or just like last year. As families change and grow, traditions and rituals often change as well. Choose a few to hold on to, and be open to creating new ones. For example, if your adult children can’t come to your house, find new ways to celebrate together, such as sharing pictures, emails or videos.
  4. Set aside differences. Try to accept family members and friends as they are, even if they don’t live up to all of your expectations. Set aside grievances until a more appropriate time for discussion. And be understanding if others get upset or distressed when something goes awry. Chances are they’re feeling the effects of holiday stress and depression, too.
  5. Stick to a budget. Before you go gift and food shopping, decide how much money you can afford to spend. Then stick to your budget. Don’t try to buy happiness with an avalanche of gifts. Try these alternatives: Donate to a charity in someone’s name, give homemade gifts or start a family gift exchange.
  6. Plan ahead. Set aside specific days for shopping, baking, visiting friends and other activities. Plan your menus and then make your shopping list. That’ll help prevent last-minute scrambling to buy forgotten ingredients. And make sure to line up help for party prep and cleanup.
  7. Learn to say no. Saying yes when you should say no can leave you feeling resentful and overwhelmed. Friends and colleagues will understand if you can’t participate in every project or activity. If it’s not possible to say no when your boss asks you to work overtime, try to remove something else from your agenda to make up for the lost time.
  8. Don’t abandon healthy habits. Don’t let the holidays become a free-for-all. Overindulgence only adds to your stress and guilt. Have a healthy snack before holiday parties so that you don’t go overboard on sweets, cheese or drinks. Continue to get plenty of sleep and physical activity.
  9. Take a breather. Make some time for yourself. Spending just 15 minutes alone, without distractions, may refresh you enough to handle everything you need to do. Take a walk at night and stargaze. Listen to soothing music. Find something that reduces stress by clearing your mind, slowing your breathing and restoring inner calm.
  10. Seek professional help if you need it. Despite your best efforts, you may find yourself feeling persistently sad or anxious, plagued by physical complaints, unable to sleep, irritable and hopeless, and unable to face routine chores. If these feelings last for a while, talk to your doctor or a mental health professional.

Take control of the holidays

Don’t let the holidays become something you dread. Instead, take steps to prevent the stress and depression that can descend during the holidays. Learn to recognize your holiday triggers, such as financial pressures or personal demands, so you can combat them before they lead to a meltdown. With a little planning and some positive thinking, you can find peace and joy during the holidays.

 

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ROD

Thursday, 24Nov11

 

Happy Thanksgiving

Juan, Chris, Tom and I want to wish the members, visitors and their families, our sincere wishes for a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving. We give thanks all of you for your continued support in our quest to bring you the finest in group strength training.

Live Happy & Healthy

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Healthy Holiday Eating Tips for Thanksgiving

Do you know that the average Thanksgiving dinner has over 2000 calories? It can be a real challenge if you are watching your waistline. The following are some eating tips so that you can still look good and be healthy after the Thanksgiving dinner without having to deprive yourself.

Healthy Holiday Eating Tips for Thanksgiving

If you are a guest of a Thanksgiving dinner:

  • Don’t go to the Thanksgiving dinner hungry: we often eat faster and
    more when we are hungry – therefore eat a wholesome breakfast and lunch on the day to avoid overeating at dinner time.
  • Thanksgiving dinner is not an all-you-can-eat buffet: Fill your plate
    half with vegetables, one quarter with a lean meat and the rest with a starch of your choice. Eat slowly and stop when you are full.
  • Turkey – go skinless: choose your 4-oz turkey portion skinless to
    slash away some fat and cholesterol. Save your appetite for the side dishes
    and desserts.
  • Side Dishes – watch your portion size: go for smaller portions. This
    way you can sample all the different foods. Moderation is always the key.
  • Make a conscious choice to limit high fat items: high fat food items
    can be found in fried and creamy dishes as well as cheese-filled casseroles in a traditional Thanksgiving meal . For instance, mashed potatoes are usually made with butter and milk; green bean casseroles are often prepared with cream of mushroom soup, cheese and milk and topped with fried onions; candied yams are loaded with cream, sugar and marshmallows. If you cannot control the ingredients that go in to a dish, simply limit yourself to a smaller helping size. Again moderation is the key.
  • Drink plenty of water: alcohol and coffee can dehydrate your body.
    Drink calorie-free water to help fill up your stomach and keep you hydrated.

If you are the honorable chef of a Thanksgiving dinner:

  • Substitute high fat ingredients with lower-fat or fat-free
    ingredients. Learn about the 5 easy steps to recipe
    substitutions or see table below.
  • Leftover Turkey? Instead of turkey sandwiches, use the leftover
    turkey to make a pot of soup with fresh chunky vegetables.
  • Experiment with new recipes: we did a search on Google and found
    numerous delicious yet healthy low-fat contemporary Thanksgiving recipes.
    Experiment!

 

Healthy Thanksgiving Recipe Substitution Tips

Recipe calls for…
Substitution
1 whole egg 2 egg whites
sour cream low fat plain yogurt or low fat sour cream
milk skim or 1% milk
ice cream frozen yogurt
heavy cream (not for whipping) 1:1 ratio of flour whisked into non fat milk (e.g. 1 cup of flour + 1 cup of
non fat milk)
whipped cream chilled evaporated skim milk or other low fat whipped products such as
Nutriwhip
cheese low-fat cheese (please note: non-fat cheese does not melt well if
use in cooking or baking)
butter light butter
cream of mushroom fat-free cream of mushroom

 

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ROD

Sunday, 04Sept11

 

Rest Day...or is it? 

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The Coregasm, Explained

The fairer sex has an unusual ability in the weight room.

Some women can actually achieve an orgasm during their workouts. These “coregasms,” as we dubbed them in a previous Men’s Health article, occur primarily during lower-body and abdominal exercises. But how do they happen?

One hypothesis is that her pelvic floor muscles are being stimulated, says Talli Rosenbaum, P.T., a urogynecological physiotherapist and certified sexual counselor.

Pelvic floor muscles, best known as the region strengthened by “Kegel” exercises, are located beneath the pelvis. They’ve also been linked to orgasm and sexual functioning.

“There are a number of studies that show that pelvic floor muscle training exercises help improve sexual response in both men and women,” Rosenbaum says. Another way that pelvic muscles impact orgasm: When a woman is aroused, she experiences increased blood flow to the genitals. The pelvic floor muscles contract, in part to prevent the blood from flowing away. These contractions facilitate orgasm. The kicker is that a woman can prime her pelvic muscles to contract through indirect stimulation—say, during lower abdominal workouts at the gym.

Here’s why: Just like sexual arousal, lower body exercises also increase blood flow to the genitals. If your girlfriend’s workouts create the same sensation as that of arousal, the same sort of reaction might inadvertently occur—effectively setting the stage for a coregasm.

Rosebaum also provides a reminder that Men’s Health has been offering for years: When it comes to a woman’s pleasure, her mind is just as important as her body. A coregasm is most likely to occur “when a woman is feeling calm and relaxed and—most importantly—open to it,” Rosenbaum says. “Orgasm is what is known as a neuro-vascular event. Genital blood flow can feel pleasant and reminiscent of sexual pleasure; when a woman perceives this during exercise, she may worry that it’s inappropriate and inhibit those thoughts, or she may go with it all the way, allowing an orgasm to happen.”

 

 

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ROD

Monday, 4Jul11

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Biomechanical Differences Between Different Foot Strikes

Why do Different Foot Strikes Matter?

Here we focus on the difference between heel striking and forefoot striking (see bottom of page for more on midfoot striking which is often intermediate). In heel striking, the collision of the heel with the ground generates a significant impact transient, a nearly instantaneous, large force. This force sends a shock wave up through the body via the skeletal system. In forefoot striking, the collision of the forefoot with the ground generates a very minimal impact force with no impact transient.

Therefore, quite simply, a runner can avoid experiencing the large impact force by forefoot striking properly.

The explanations below illustrate how and why a large collision is generated when heel striking and why such a small collision is generated when forefoot striking.   Continue reading…

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ROD

Monday, 30May11

 

All Classes Are Cancelled Today

Memorial Day

Don’t forget the real meaning of Memorial Day

Memorial Day often blows by in a haze of sunscreen, grilled meats and crowded beaches. Yet the soldiers who fell in wars – the reason for our holiday – need our acknowledgement more than ever.

The celebration of Memorial Day began in 1868, as a way to heal the wounds of the Civil War. The San Francisco Veterans Memorial Project, a $2.5 million monument more than 80 years in the making, will pay tribute to the brave men and women who have fought for our country over the course of centuries.

The privately funded project will be in the Memorial Courtyard in San Francisco’s Civic Center neighborhood, between the Veterans Building and the Opera House. We encourage all locals to visit the three design proposals for the monument. They’ll be on display in the Veterans Building as of June 8.

But in a time of war, it’s equally important to remember the soldiers who are fighting for our country right now.

More than 2 million troops have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Deployed or at home, they face a tremendous number of challenges from inadequate mental health care to high rates of unemployment.

Perhaps one of the best ways to honor veterans is to offer assistance to those who are currently serving. Visit www.charitynavigator.org to find a reliable veterans organization this Memorial Day.

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Enjoy some of these interesting videos as you enjoy the holiday…
 
This is the “Sport of Fitness”
 
“Outside 90″ with Tony Blauer – video [wmv]
 
Quick Highlights of the Australia Regional: Day 1 – video [wmv]
 
“Teaching People How To Run” with Dr. Nicolas Romanov – video [wmv]
 
“The Yoke with Dave Castro”, CrossFit Journal preview video [wmv]

WOD Demo with Kristan Clever and Katie Hogan – video [wmv]

Ken Gall and Lucas Brainerd on today’s WOD – video [wmv]
 
“Starting Striking: Bag Basics” with George Ryan, CrossFit Journal preview video [wmv]

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ROD

Saturday, 25Dec10

   Santa performing H.I.T.T. moves

We want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas ~ Staff of Nxt Level Performance

                          

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“Some people dream of great accomplishments, while others stay awake and do them.” – Anonymous

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ROD

Thursday, 25Nov10

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The Meaning of Family

Fam·i·ly

 (fm-l, fml)

n. pl. fam·i·lies 1. a. A fundamental social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.

b. Two or more people who share goals and values, have long-term commitments to one another, and reside usually in the same dwelling place.2. All the members of a household under one roof.3. A group of persons sharing common ancestry. See Usage Note at collective noun.4. Lineage, especially distinguished lineage.5. A locally independent organized crime unit, as of the Cosa Nostra.6. a. A group of like things; a class.b. A group of individuals derived from a common stock: the family of human beings.

 We are never given a chance to choose a family. May be that’s why knowing, understanding and learning the meaning of family becomes essential for us. We are all, including the orphans, born with a family. Family, is essentially, made of those people who look after, who play a crucial role in our upbringing and who teach us those lessons in life, which can never be learned through any school or text book. We assimilate the basics of discipline and responsibilities from our family relationships. The various characters in the family, imbibe in us the true meaning of family. Lets try and see who are these characters and how they reveal to us the real meaning of family

Mother
A mother, by the virtue of being a woman, a mother brings you into this life. Thus, she creates you. She gives you the chance to live a life. She looks after you, every breathing moment of her life, thus imbibing the meaning of love and care. Her unconditional love, transient to tough love, helps you understand your flaws and strengths, thus, teaching you to understand your limits and your capabilities. A mother, is someone, with whom you make your first bond.

Father
He is someone, who is always around and knows how to fix every problem. He may not be in most of the photographs taken at family picnics, because, he is the one taking the shot. He provides the financial support and the emotional support too. The role play of a father, teaches diligence, responsibility, dedication and dependability. Through his actions, he teaches the children the meaning of hard work and perseverance.

Siblings
Siblings are the indispensable part of your life. No matter how much you fight with them, get angry with them, hate their ways of living or are jealous of them, they come to open the ‘never red before’ chapters of your life. I have a twin sister. Though we are fraternal, we have always been compared in terms of our skin color, height, intellect and so on and so forth. But, it is this comparison that has helped me see, us, as different individuals, born together for a purpose, way above shallow measurements of being ‘like the other one’. Most importantly, it has taught me to share, to love and to be there for someone unassailably. I owe my virtues of patience, tolerance and if it’s not self praising, my ability to stand for someone you love, to her. It is living with siblings that makes life a fun roller coaster full of ups, downs, turns, twists, laughter and love.
 

Relatives
Relatives are the support system of the family. In times of crisis and in times of happiness, no matter what situation you are in, you always find relatives by your side to help you come out of it. Relatives share the burden of your sorrows and griefs and double the essence of happiness.

Meaning of Family Values

Meaning of family values are the building blocks of a family. Family values are governed by the social beliefs. Family values, set the norms of behavior within a family. It a set of rules that every family abides by. Family values are guidelines, that decide what is right and what is wrong. There sometimes can be friction between the young and the elder members of the family. But it is this friction, that gives the scope for reasoning, understanding, patience and tolerance. A family with the believes, in explaining the logic of doing and not doing things to their child, brings up a person with the right thinking ability. In most families, where the elders are usually dominating, the child fails to understand, the real meaning of values.

Meaning of family cannot be put into a limit of words. It an experience that one undergoes, all through the lifetime. A family, is cannot be touched, but can be felt in honest contemplations of the mind. To me the meaning of a family is not just limited to the immediate family you are born with. If it was so myopic, then what would the orphans call a family? I remember a scene from ‘The Kid’, a legendary movie by Charlie Chaplin. He picks up a small kid off the street to pelt stones at the windows in the vicinity, so that he can fix them up and make money. When the policemen figure this out, they decide to take the child away. It is at this intersection, that the bond between the kid and the tramp (Charlie Chaplin), comes across as the protector (father) and the helpless child, though they are biologically related. What I mean is, a family, is the one, who belongs to you in time of need and joy and helps you grow up to make a family of your own, one day.

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ROD

Monday, 11Oct10

This mornings 10:00 am class will be in session. So bring it.

 

 

Triple Threat

3  Stations, 7 minutes each station for Max Rounds

2 min rest in between stations

“Speed”
10 KB High pulls
10 Burpees

“Strength”
10 Kettlebell Swings
10 Dumbbell Push Press

“Stamina”
10 Wall Ball Shots
10 Mountain Climbers 

Score = Total Rounds for all three station

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“Never take someone for granted, hold every person close to your heart, cause you might wake up one day and realize that you’ve lost a diamond while you were too busy collecting stones.” -Unknown

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Love those Kettlebells (yes, that is sweat)