The Gift Of Health!

With the Holidays fast approaching I thought it would only be fitting to post a few gift ideas. Maybe you have a health/fitness enthusiast on your list, or someone looking to get back into shape, heck you could even use these as gift ideas for yourself! Enjoy, and happy Holidays everyone!

1. Personal Training Sessions: An excellent idea for anyone who already trains or for that person looking to get back into shape. Just make sure to find yourself a qualified trainer!

2. "How To Eat Move And Be Healthy"-By Paul Chek: An excellent book for everyone looking to change their life, how they look at food and exercise!

3. Lifeline USA Jungle Gym: An excellent suspension trainer. It offers body weight progressions for beginners to athletes and is one of my favorite pieces of equipment. It does everything the TRX can do for less than half the price! It can be found at www.lifelinusa.com

4. Everlast Speed Jump Rope: The best $8.00 you will ever spend! Jumping rope boosts your metabolism, helps you lose body fat, and improves your balance/coordination. It can be found at Wal-Mart and would make an excellent stocking stuffer or addition to a gift.

5. Kitchen Supplies: A blender, some good non stick frying pans, a mixing bowl with measuring cups, roasting pans etc. It's never a bad idea and new things always come in handy when you're looking to create some new meals that fit into a paleo/natural diet.

6. Yoga/Martial Arts/ Group Classes: Gives people a chance to try something new or spice things up with their routine. Also great to do in between your personal training days! Their are tons of options for you to choose from for anyone on your list.

7. Athletic Clothing: Almost everyone likes to look great, even while their working out! So why not get some new athletic clothing or a gift certificate from one of the many athletic apparel stores.

... These are just a few ideas to help you get rolling. Remember that health/fitness is the most important gift you can give yourself and the ones you love! Until next time, take care and enjoy your holidays!

www.jungle-fit.com

Surviving The Holidays!

It's that time of year again! Christmas cheer is in the air, we're all out getting our shopping for family and friends finished up, and everyone is counting down the days until December 25th. It's a very exciting time, for some of us it's the one time of the year where the whole family comes together! But where there's family and holidays, get togethers and parties are there too! So for those of you who have just started or have adopted a fitness/nutrition program it can be very hard to stay on track when all that food/alcohol is put in front of you daily. The last thing you want is to gain 5, 10, or 15lbs over the course of the holidays and set your health and fitness program back after all those weeks/months of hard work!

But fear not! I am here to provide you with some helpful tips on how to avoid destroying your results over the holidays.

Bring your own snacks: If you bring your own veggie plates/fruit bowls to the party then you have no excuse to not eat well. Every holiday get together always has plenty of chips and dip or deep fried snack plates, and when you haven't eaten all day then you are just asking to cheat on your nutrition plan! Provide your own healthy options and you will never have any reason to stray.

Avoid Excess Alcohol: Alcohol, ohhhhhh boy! This one has to be the hardest one for almost everyone. During the holidays there is always wine flowing, beers in every fridge, and plenty of rum or what ever else you like. I am not saying don't enjoy a drink with the family, but you need to know that alcohol (especially when mixed with juices/soda) is exceptionally high in calories. It is the easiest way to destroy your diet and gain extra pounds. We also tend to make very poor food choices when intoxicated, making alcohol the "gateway" to poor food choices.

Keep Up Your Workout Program: Yes your holidays are a break, a break from work and daily stress. However, it is not and should never be a break from your workout! Take your workout with you, body weight exercise can be done anywhere at any time. If you can workout 3 days a week for 20 mins, that's all you need to maintain your fitness! If you are unsure of what to do then ask your trainer for a home program you can follow for a week. Push ups, lunges, squats, dips, planks, chin ups and burpees are a great base to start with and you can even get creative with them.

Don't Over Eat: I know Christmas dinner only happens once a year, but that doesn't give you a reason to eat until you feel like you'll burst! Be sensible people, eat until you are satisfied and not stuffed!

Avoid Desert: Oh desert, the meal we eat after we have already eaten! Such a gluttonous thing to do! Avoid this sugary lump of junk, or limit yourself to one small portion.

... Now, these are just a few simple tips. If you use common sense, avoid junk food, and continue to workout then you should be fine for a week or two. As soon as the holidays are over make sure to get right back into your regular fitness/nutrition routine and work hard!

WWW.JUNGLE-FIT.COM

The Workout Of The Stars

If you have kept up with action movies the past few years then you may have noticed a trend in the look of your favourite actors bodies. Many of them are getting into outstanding shape and transforming their bodies in a matter of months to prepare for a role. In case you have been living in a cave the past 5 years then let me hi-light some movies for you such as 300, Casino Royal, Blade 3, Wolverine, and the soon to be released Ninja Assassin. In each of these films the star, or in some cases the whole cast, has had nothing short of stellar physiques. What's their secret you might ask? Simple! Hard work, high intensity training, and a natural diet.

It's nothing new, it's what produces that lean athletic look in a short amount of time and there are videos to prove this point (click here for a link to a video about how the actors trained for the movie "300")(Click here for a video on how Rain trained for his role in "Ninja Assassin"). The secrets of the stars are not so secret, it's just that people are always looking for an easy way out. No one wants to hear that the people in the movies are just like you and me and that they worked hard to get that body. No one wants to hear that they eat like a saint and avoided all that deep fried junk at the local bar. Everyone wants to hear that they took some special pill or did some long lost exercise that changed them in a matter of weeks.

Well everyone it's not magic, there is no pill or long lost exercise ... just hard work and dedication. Now even though the movies mentioned above consist of mainly a male cast, the benefits for women going through the same style of training will be the same. Everyone will get stronger, leaner, more toned, and have more energy when they perform high intensity training. It's what I practice, and it's what I have been teaching for years. You'll see in the videos above that they are training with kettlebells, body weight, and compound movements ... things that we use each and every day at Jungle Fit - Personal Training. So there you have it, the "secret workout of the stars" ... not so mysterious after all! If you want to have results like you have been seeing in films then give Jungle Fit - Personal Training a try. You have nothing to lose except the weight!

You Are What You Eat

What you put into your mouth is what is going to make the biggest change, not only in how you look without clothing, but also in your energy levels, how you sleep, and how you think! I can not stress enough the importance of natural eating and a paleo style diet. If you are working out currently and have not changed your eating patterns from the regular processed foods, deep fried crap, too much grains, coffee with 2 sugars and cream, and only eating 2-3 times per day, then you are not getting half of the results you should be seeing.

Once again, the paloe diet consists of lean protein, veggies, fruits, seeds and nuts, and berries. Cut out the wheat, dairy, and processed foods and watch your body change in a matter of weeks. I am not only speaking for my clients who have transformed their own bodies, but I am also speaking from my own experience. Changing my own diet along with functional exercise allowed me to drop 40lbs in 4 months and keep it off. It took a long time to figure out and really come to terms with the fact that I could not make drastic lasting change in my body without getting my own diet on lock down. It's not always easy to change, but it is what we all need to do to not only have an outstanding bod, but to also perform at our very best at anything we choose to do in life. You need to look at food as fuel, and only put good fuel into your body.

Try a peleo diet for a week or two and you WILL see amazing results.

- Eat some sort of lean protein with each meal: Chicken, Fish, Turkey, Lean Beef, Eggs,

- Fill up on veggies with each meal any type you like and make sure to change them up!

- Use fruits as snacks and eat them between meals as well as in the morning with break fast.

- Eat healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, almond butter, olive oil, coconut/coconut milk, avocado

- Eat 5-6 times per day every 2-3 hours (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack etc.)

... remember there are tons and tons of combinations you can make with the items above. Eat lots of veggies, make sure you are getting plenty of meat with each meal, use your nuts and fruits for snacks, and eat lots ... there is no need to be hungry! Eat natural, the way are bodies are designed to eat and you will see the changes you have always wanted.

WWW.JUNGLE-FIT.WEEBLY.COM

No Change ... Then Make Change.

So you started working out and at first you were seeing great results. You lost body fat, you were looking great, and when you walked around the house you would have to keep pulling your pants up to stop them from falling off! You were actually excited to go and push yourself through a tough workout or eat those veggies and lean meat. You thought you had found the workout you had been looking for all these years.

But all of a sudden the results just stopped!

Out of no where, with out changing a thing, your results just came to a stand still. It's a very, very frustrating situation ... but the problem doesn't lie in what you are doing. The problem is what you are not doing ... changing your workout.

Our bodies are smart, much smarter than we give them credit for, with in weeks your body will adapt to your program and change is what's needed to keep your body guessing and provide you with continued results. When you make changes/progressions to your workout your body will have to change and now adapt to the new stress you are putting it through.

So lets say you have been attending a group fitness class for 2 months and you had great results, but lately you have been upset with the lack of results. The majority of group fitness classes involve a whole lot of cardio and very little resistance training. Resistance training would be the change you need to continue seeing results. A little extra muscle (no worries ladies you will NOT look like a man!) will help you to burn calories 24 hours a day 7 days a week even at rest. Resistance training doesn't have to be standing in front of a mirror watching yourself curl a bar or sitting on a chest press machine.
Heck NO! Resistance training can be done with your own body weight, kettlebells, resistance bands and much, much more. Your programs and training can always change and become new and interesting regardless of your current fitness level.

Once again, after a few weeks your body will adapt to your new workout program involving resistance training. So what do we do now that you are not seeing change from that program? That's right ... change the program again and make it harder! Jump into some high intensity training, work with more advanced exercises, switch from straight sets to super sets, or work with heavier weights. The changes are endless.

Making changes to your program is something that needs to be done with a lot of thought and some knowledge of how to progress safely and effectively. A good personal trainer will not only help you achieve your goals, but they will also teach you how to continue to get results and stay healthy/fit for the rest of your life. There is no replacement for working one on one with a great trainer, make the jump and it will pay off.

After all, it's foolish to do the same thing day after day and expect a different outcome.


www.jungle-fit.weebly.com

You Have The Power To Change Your Life!

For many people little things keeps us from achieving our dreams. Those dreams/goals could be deal with our personal lives, job, or fitness. For most people, the only thing standing in your way between your dreams and making them a reality is procrastination, fear, and excuses.
What are you waiting for? You're sitting around saying, "Some day I will get in shape!" or "One day soon I will quit smoking or get that job I want!". My question to you is ... why not right now?! You and only you have the power to change your life, you hold the key to unlocking your dreams, you can make it happen.

Most people avoid change because they are afraid. They may have a fear of failing, a fear of being hurt, or a lack of security. So we sit back and say, "Oh some day I will get this done!" but what if that "some day" never comes. You will have spent your whole life never realising your dreams, never exploring what you can achieve.

This is a massive problem for many of you looking to get back into shape. The excuses are numerous, I have no time, my family needs me at home, work is too crazy right now etc. But the fact is no matter how you slice it, those are all excuses because deep down you are afraid. Do you want to know whats really scary, health issues from not being in shape and not taking action now! Your work is busy, but how good will you be at work when you can no longer stand all day or show up due to illness or a frequent health issue, and what if you have no health benefits with your job? Sure your family needs you around, and you may miss a few moments with them, but your family really needs you to be healthy, fit , and alive! Wouldn't you rather be able to run around and play soccer with your kids rather than sit in a chair and watch them because your joints are so stiff and dry that you can't move the laundry without throwing out your back! Wouldn't it be nice to be actively involved in your children's activities without getting out of breath of hurting yourself. Children learn from example, so if they watch mom or dad working out and staying active then they will want to workout and stay active too.

I can't tell you how many people claim they have no time to workout, yet have time to sit and watch 4 hours of t.v and eat a bag of chips or 2 muffins a night. Come on be honest with yourself, if you can find 30 mins 3 times a week that's all you need to transform your body! Or how about those who claim that personal training costs too much, but they can spend tons of money on new clothes that they will wear once and throw in the closet, or eat fast food 6 times a week. Did you know 2 meals at a fast food joint costs about as much as 1 session by Jungle Fit - Personal Training, heck one meal might even cost more than 1 boot camp class!

Working out doesn't have to cost much or anything at all! You have your own body, learn some body weight exercises and put together a program for yourself, or get a trainer to put one together for you. Take small steps at first like walking instead of driving or take the stairs instead of the elevator. Stop eating junk food and put real food into your mouth, remember that food is your fuel and you need to treat it that way. Veggies and Fruit really don't cost that much, and no one ever became fat from eating them along with lean meats. If the gym is boring or you're not seeing results then hire a good trainer to spice things up and get you the results you need.

The power for change in your life lies inside you, and you know deep down that you can make a change, no matter what kind of goal you have. Those fears you inside you are easily over come, and you must get to the root of them. If you are one of these people who are putting off achieving your dreams, I suggest you go take a good hard look in the mirror and ask your self,"What is stopping me?". Chances are your mind will answer with a ton of excuses, you need to see through them and decide to make a change, you need to make it now or change will never come. Fear, worry, and procrastination will kill your results, they will get you no where fast! Attack your goals and never let up until they are achieved. Remember, when you are ready to make that change Jungle Fit - Personal Training is here to help and push you to your goals.

... You can do it, just believe. www.jungle-fit.weebly.com

High Intensity Exercise, What We Need!

Why don't we run long distance in Jungle Fit? When do we workout our abs with sit ups? What muscle are we working right now? These are just a few of the questions I get asked almost daily from my clients. I am sure that I will be asked them, and many other questions thousands of times again, but lets try and clear some things up right now!

Jungle Fit - Personal Training focuses on functional exercises that work large muscle groups. We then create workouts that push your body to its limits through high intesity training involving these functional exercises. It's a unique blend of strength training, high intesity anaerobic training, and flexibility/mobility training to turn your body into a lean, functional machine.

So why don't we isolate your muscles, why don't we run for long distances, and why the heck do we push ourselves so hard? The answer is very simple, to make turn body into a well oiled machine and get you into the best shape possible!

All of our exercises work multiple muscles groups, we never isolate muscles. The more muscles you work the more calories you burn, and the better your body functions in everyday life and athletics. Isolating muscles is for body builders, and most people are not body builders and don't want to be one! Body building will leave you unbalanced and greatly reduce your mobility. Kettlebell snatch, front squats, handstand push ups, burpies etc etc etc , will produce a stronger body than any biceps curl, leg extension, or pec dec machine ever will.

We push ourselves to the limit with high intensity anaerobic training instead of long distance cardio because it burns more calories than stready state cardio. High intensity training burns more over all calories, there for it burns more calories from fat. This style of training also promotes lean muscles gains by boosting you HGH (human growth hormone). Trust me, you do not want to look like a long distance runner ... just take a look at the picture above! It's no secret! People have known about this style of high intensity training forever. It's what produces the best athletes, it's what gives that lean athletic look, and it's what provides results along with a solid nutrition program.

Jungle Fit - Personal Training and our style of training is the real deal. We don't mess around, there are no silly machines, but we get the job done! You will see the results you want that you have never had with any gym. You will be able to do things you never thought possible and move with the greatest of ease. You will feel so much stronger than before and look amazing!

If you are ready to get that body you want, if you are ready to change your life, then we are here for you! Just visit www.jungle-fit.weebly.com for prices and details.

Do You Need A Personal Trainer?

There are numerous reasons to hire a qualified personal trainer. You might even need one yourself and just not know it yet! Sounds weird I know, but if you fall into any one of the following categories you may want to look into getting yourself a qualified personal trainer.

1. Your doctor has told you that you need to lose extra body fat/weight because it is causing health problems and putting your life/health at risk. A qualified personal trainer can not only help you get down to a healthy weight, but teach you how to stay there for life.

2. You are regularly attending group fitness classes and have seen results but feel they have slowed down. Group classes are a great thing, however nothing can replace the one on one personal attention that you get with your own trainer. A good trainer will push you to places you have never thought possible, and help you get to your goals 80% faster than anything else!

3. You are taking group classes or workout at a gym and are unsure if you're doing every exercise with the right form. Having poor form on exercises can and most likely will lead to injury. Buying a few sessions with a trainer will not only help your form but also help you perform you best in the gym or during your group classes.

4. You hate going to the gym and need motivation. Lets face it, most people don't enjoy working out. It can be intimidating to go to the gym, especially when you are unsure of what you are doing. Having your own private trainer to push you through your workouts and stay on top of your attendance will really, and I mean really help you if you have no motivation. Plus, with your own private trainer there is no intimidation factor of a large gym!

5. You already workout or play sports and want to push yourself to that next level. Having a private personal trainer can do leaps and bounds for your sport performance as well as take you to new levels in your workouts.

6. You have a specific area you need to impove. Some people need to work on their flexibility, some need to get stronger, and some just need to be able to move with ease as they age. What ever your need is, a qualified trainer can create a program to suit that need.

7. You enjoy company while working out. Having a workout partner can be great to take your mind off of the hard moments, and to help push you through your sticking points. What's better than having a great training partner who can not only motivate you and keep you company, but also get you where you want to be 80% faster!

8. You started to get back into shape, but fell off the wagon and need help getting started again. It's not always easy to get back into working out, and having a trainer to help keep you on track just might be what you need to get back into the swing of things! Don't put it off for too long because you don't want to end up getting a trainer for the reasons stated in #1.

9. You are tired of trying to get into shape for summer or any other season and want to look amazing all year round! This is the goal everyone should be shooting for, and belive it or not, it is possible. Besides, most people start too late in their quest to get that beach body for summer. At the very least you want to start gearing up for summer 4-6 months before June, and a qualified trainer can make sure you get the results you want all year round and not just for summer!

10. You just want to feel better about yourself and your life. Getting into shape changes your life, not just in a physical sense but also mentally. When you look better and like what you see you feel better about yourself and it shows. Along with the fact that you will be stronger, leaner, toned, and flexible you will also have a hightend sense of confidence in how you look and your capabilities.

... A great trainer is worth his in gold. Do yourself a favour, if any of these sound like you then start thinking seriously about getting yourself a qualified personal trainer. You may consider Jungle Fit-Personal Training , a natural/functional approach to fitness, from a highly qualified trainer. You have nothing to lose but the weight and gain the body and life you want. Just head to www.jungle-fit.weebly.com and find out how to get started on your own personal training program today!

The Real Deal With Infomercial CRAP!

Ah Sunday! My day off, no training, no boot camps, just time to enjoy my day. I really would be relaxed today however,right now as I sit here, my T.V. is on and slamming me with infomercials. One after the other telling me how their new product or pill will make me lose weight and get sexy toned abs with almost no effort at all! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! I am so tired of seeing these insane products claiming that they will turn your body from a lump of cookie dough into into a sculpted greek god/goddess!

It's all a ton of bull, wake up everyone! These people are getting rich off of hard working people's insecurities and lack of fitness knowledge and know how. There is NO MAGIC PILL, there is NO MAGIC EXERCISE OR MACHINE! If there was some pill or machine, then don't you think we would all be walking around looking like fitness models? Also, if there was something magic out there to change your body in a matter of days, then personal trainers like me would be out of a job.

Hmmmmmmmm, so if personal trainers would be out of a job if these machines or pills worked so well, then why is the personal training industry still booming? Nothing will ever replace a well thought out workout program and a solid nutrition plan. Lets be real here, if you take a moment to watch any of these informercials, all of these products come with a nutrition plan as well as a cardio workout. They make you pay through the roof for some dopy looking product claiming that it will make you shed pounds and inches, when it's actually thanks to the diet and cardio!

Diet and cardio will only get you so far before you level off and need a change, where is the resistance training to build new muscle and stimulate your metabolism? If you what to see results then start watching what you put in your mouth, don't skip workouts, and if you feel like you need some motivation or a little help then hire a quality trainer. Don't get sucked into this gimmic crap, the people on T.V. using the machine/pills are fitness models. They didn't get that way from what ever product they are selling, they did it with hard work, and genetics.

A quality trainer is worth the the money you pay. A good trainer will deliver results, Jungle Fit -Personal Training is real and always delivers results. There is no crazy sales pitch or stupid machine, just natural/functional fitness and hard work! So if you are ready to actually see real results then stop watching those infomercials and praying for a pill/machine to change your life. You have only one body and one life, and in order to live it to the fullest you need a healthy mind and body. Give your self the best gift you can, the gift of health and fitness. So if you are ready to change your life then check out http://www.jungle-fit.weebly.com/ and get started on the body and life you deserve!

Joint Mobility???

Joint mobility drills are the fountain of youth! No you didn't read that wrong, I'm not saying that joint mobility drills will make your skin smoother and give your hair that youthful shine it once had in high school! What I am saying is that you will be able to move with great ease well into your old age with the correct use and consistent practice of joint mobility drills. Imagine being able to move your joints with the ease of a baby when you are in your fifties or higher!

I'm sure your wondering how I can make a statment like this when I am no where near my fifties. Yes, I realise that it is a pretty big claim to make, however I will stick by it until the end! Let me explain, I have spent my whole life involved in fitness/health and martial arts, joint mobility drills have been a part of my workouts before I even knew what they were. All of my martial arts teachers are well over their fifties and move like cats, and guess what they did every day, joint mobility drills! If my seventy year old japanese karate teacher could throw out kicks that would make Chuck Norris blush, he must be doing something right.

If you have read this far you must be wondering "What the heck are joint mobility drills?". It's very simple, joint mobility drills would be moving your joints through their full range of motion to allow more synovial fluid to lubricate the joint. The result is healthier joints with less friction and a greater range of motion in the joint, think of it like putting WD40 in a rusty door hinge. They are very similar to the warm ups used by dancers, martial artists, and gymnasts. Joint mobility drills have stood the test of time and produce results, they are the reason that I have clients who now no longer need the use of physio or no longer have knee or shoulder pain during activity.

You don't need to already have bad joints to start a joint mobility program, infact everyone should start long before they ever reach a state where it becomes criticle. If you want your joints to move with the ease and mobility of a little baby and not be one of those poor elderly people who have trouble stepping up a curb to get into the mall, then do your body a favour and start joint mobility drills now. All personal training programs with Jungle Fit - Personal Training include joint mobility, for some it may even be best to base the program around regaining their joint health. For more information or to contact me on how to get started with your own natural/functional personal training program and lose 5-15lbs in 2 months then just go to www.jungle-fit.weebly.com and get on your way to the body and life you deserve.

Why Use Kettlebells?

By now most people who head to a gym or workout have seen or heard about kettlebells. You know, it's that bowling ball looking thing in the corner of your gym with the handle. If your gym is like most gyms, the kettlebells just sit in the corner and never get touched. See, most people have no idea how to use a kettlebell or how they are any different from a dumbbell, even most trainers have no idea how to correctly use a kettlebell let alone teach the correct form to a client!

So lets talk about what kettlebells are used for and how they are different. Kettlebells are different from dumbbells for a few reasons. Dumbells are used for the most part in isolated exercises due to the way they are balanced on either side, making the dumbbell great for bodybuilding. Kettlebells, are built so the weight hangs and always pulls away from your hand and body, making them great for total body exercises and not isolation.

So why would you want to use total body exercises and not isolate your muscles? When you train your muscles in isolation they will work in isolation, meaning you will not feel strong in every day movements or sports. Also the more muscles you use during exercise the more calories you will burn, so using a kettlebell for total body exercises will burn more calories than using a dumbell to isolate. Can you use a dumbell for kettlebell style exercises? Yes, you can use a dumbell for some kettlebell exercises, however it will not produce the same effect. When using a dumbell for swings it will feel more like a "lift" than a "swing" due to the fact that the weight is balanced, when using the kettlebell the weight will be pulling away from your body making your muscles stretch and training your hips to "pop" that weight back up. Use the right tool for the right job, you would'nt use a hammer to drill a hole, so don't use a dumbell for kettlebell exercises!

So why should you be using kettlebells? Kettlebells produce strong, lean, flexible muscles and provide you with very functional strength. A well designed kettlebell program can blend strength training, cardio, and flexibilty training all in one short intense workout. For men kettlebells provide functional strength, and can be used to build lean muscles, wide shoulders, powerfull hips, and keep your lower back strong! Kettlebells are great for giving women lean long muscle, dropping their body fat, providing them with dynamic flexibility and strength that most women never had before. For everyone who as ever wanted a flat stomach and a butt you can bounce a quarter off, then kettlebells could be your best friend!

The only catch is that you need to find someone who can teach you how to use the kettlebell correctly. Used the properly kettlebells can fix lower back pain, increase range of motion, give you a lean body and many more great results, but used incorrectly they can lead to injury. It is very important to find a kettlebell trainer who can not only teach you the safest way to use a kettlebell but also set up the best program for your goals. Jungle Fit-Personal Training will provide you the best kettlebell training possible and have you reaching your goals faster than you ever thought possible using these amazing pieces of equipment. For more information on how to reach your goals fast and naturally, then head to the Jungle Fit-Personal Training website (www.jungle-fit.weebly.com) for more information on personal training and boot camps.

Eat Like A Caveman

Hey everyone, I hope you all had a great long weekend! I'm sure it was filled with friends, family, and unfortunately some poor choices of food! So I thought that I would touch on a subject that I get asked about all the time, food. People are always wondering "what should I eat?" or "how much should I eat?" and one of the most popular, " what do you eat?". Well ladies and gents eating right doesn't have to be hard, infact it's very, very simple. To eat right just eat like a caveman!

Now I am sure all of you are scratching your heads wondering what the heck that means! I don't mean run outside and club some wild animal and drag it home to cook over a live fire, I am talking about the paleo way of eating or a caveman style diet. The paleo (or caveman) way of eating is centered around lean meats, veggies, fruits, seeds, berries and nuts. This way of eating also cuts out dairy, grains, beans, and potatoes because in their raw uncooked form they would be poisonous to your body. So without making things complicated, eat what a caveman would eat, they had animals to eat (meat), veggies (mainly root based), fruits when they could find them, and nuts and seeds. They would not have had the means to cook or creat breads from grain, or cook potatoes and beans.

It is NOT dangerous to cut beans, grain, and potatoes. We have been evolving for over millions of years, and we have only been farming for 10 thousand. Infact, after we all started eating diets high in grains and processed foods things like diseases and obesity in the general population grew off the charts! Infact the "Canadian Food Guide" will do more for promoting disease than it will to promote good health! Click here for a little video on the paleo diet, it will help clear up a lot of questions you may have about this great way of eating. Click here for an in depth article on the paleo diet written by a doctor.

As I tell everyone who trains with Jungle Fit, if you want to see a change then workout, if you want to see a huge change then workout and change your eating habits! Your diet is 70% of what will get you the body you want. Not only that but it will improve your health leaps and bounds! Eat 5-6 times per day, breakfast, lunch and supper with small snacks inbetween each meal. If you want a challenge, try the paleo way of eating for 2 weeks, take your measurments before and after. If you don't cheat and follow this way of eating, avoid fruit juice, soda, and alcohol and drink tons of water! I promise that you will see some amazing results! I use this style of eating and have had great results in every aspect of my fitness and well being.

Jungle Fit is all about natural training and functional fitness, the paleo diet goes hand in hand with the fitness side of training. With Jungle Fit - Personal Training we guarantee you will lose 5-15lbs in 2 months naturally. Contact Tim at www.jungle-fit.weebly.com and get started on the track to the life you want and the body you deserve!

Back to The Future

Just an extention on the last post "Top Exercises You Should Be Doing!". In that last blog we touched on functional fitness and how it will improve your over all fitness. Today functional exercises, kettlebells, and suspension training seem to be a growing trend in the fitness world. Many people are promoting them as "the new hot thing" that will get you results fast. There are a number of "professionals" claiming that they have brought kettlebells into the picture or that its something mysterious.

It's true to some point. Kettlebells, bodyweight training, suspension training will all get you much better results then any machine. However, all of these things are NOT new! They are some of the oldest training tools around and there is nothing mysterious about them. Old strong men worked with kettlebells and barbells all the time. Gymnasts are among the strongest athletes in the world with some of the best physiques and they use suspension training and bodyweight resistance every day!

The gyms of the future will all be functional! Gyms will move away from machines and more towards pull up bars, suspesion training, kettlebells etc. Infact the gym of the future is actually the gym of the past (check the picture above). This is a good thing, this is what we all need, this is how everyone will get into shape and stay that way into their old age.

For more functional fitness & kettlebell training, contact Tim at www.jungle-fit.weebly.com and get in the best shape of your life today!

Jungle Fit- How Fitness Was Meant To Be!

Top Exercises You Should Be Doing!

Machine Zombies! Well thats what I like to call them, and yes I will admit I was once one of them! At one point or another we have all been one, and your gym is full of them. People who walk from machine to machine pressing and pulling trying to get their bodies back into shape. Yet no matter how many hours they spend in the gym, no matter how much weight they are pushing or pulling, they just don't feel strong outside of the gym and stopped seeing results long ago.

There is hope for machine zombies, and it's a simple as stepping away from those clunky boring old machies and using functional exercises. Let me share with you my story, years ago I would spend an hour or more wandering from station to station trying to get stronger and put on muscle. However, when I left the gym I didn't feel strong at all, infact I felt weak and I was plagued by lower back pain! I tryed everything from seeing my chiropractor each week to spot training my lower back and nothing worked, that is untill I walked away from machines and focused on functional exercises.

Functional exercises would be any exercise that mirrors movements you perform in everyday life. Once I changed my own workouts around these exercises my lower back pain vanished and I felt stronger than ever before, not to mention a big drop in my body fat. Since then I have enjoyed using the same exercises to help many clients lose fat, feel stronger, and change their lives. Now I will be providing you with a list of the most essential exercises everyone must be using to feel stronger, lose weight, and stay active long into old age.

Squats: Squats are so important to your core strength and over all one of the best exercises you can perform. You squat to get into your car or get off the couch, you squat to jump or to get into position to pick things up off the floor. Everyone must squat!

Deadlifts: Lift with your legs not with your back! We have all heard this before, and the deadlift will teach you to do just that. You deadlift to pick anything up, this could be anything from lifting your new baby up off the floor or bending down to pick up heavy rocks or bags of dirt when gardening.

Pull Ups: One of the best upper body workouts and can be done to gain strength or muscular endurance. If you can't pull up then lets hope you never have to pull yourself up from a cliff edge or climb a tree fast to get away from an animal on a camping trip!

Push Ups: Training your core, chest, shoulders, and arms push ups are right up there with pull ups for training your upper body. You push doors open at the mall or office, and I am sure we have all pushed a car for a friend at one point.

Lunges: Training your whole lower body not only creating athletic strength but also providing flexibility and a sense of balance. You lunge when playing any sport, you lunge when stepping over wide objects.

Rows: There are so many variations of rows the possibilities are endless and you can hit all areas of your back. You pull open doors, pull the lawn mower out of the shed and so much more. Ever play tug of war, yep thats rowing too.

Over Head Pressing: From putting a box on a high shelf to a gymnast pressing up into a hand stand, over head pressing exercises are more than functional. They strengthen the shoulder and promote a stable shoulder joint.


A good trainer will be able to provide you with many variations of each of these exercises and ways to build up to being able to do them if you can't at first.

To start your own functional exercise program be sure to contact me Personal Trainer Timothy Bell at www.jungle-fit.com and be on your way to a stronger leaner body today!

Jungle Fit - How Fitness Was Meant To Be!

No Gym , No Problem!

Summer is here and slowly coming to an end and you're still out of shape! So many people make that promise to get back into shape and fit into those jeans or new dress, but just never start. This is a problem for so many people, but in reality there is no excuse! As a trainer I have heard hundreds of excuses for not getting into shape or starting a fitness program. The top one has got to be "I don't have time" or "I have no equipment". I'm sure this sounds familiar to more that a few people, and it is still no excuse!

You may ask "Okay Tim, how am I going to get in shape with no time or equipment?". The answer is very simple, bodyweight training. Bodyweight training costs nothing, can be done anywhere, and can be tailored to your needs. On top of that, you can get an amazing workout that will get you results in 30 mins flat!

With bodyweight training the possibilities are endless. You don't need a gym membership, there is a gym in your own living room with a floor to do squats and push ups on, chairs to step up onto or use them to perform dips. If you're like me and enjoy getting outside, then there is one of the best gym's in the world right around the corner from you ... and its FREE! Go to any park or playground and you will find a Jungle Gym play stucture of some sort. With so many bars, benches, boxes and polls there are thousands of workout options. Another great thing is your own home and the Jungle Gym down the road are always open, so you don't have to work around business hours!

Training does'nt have to cost you an arm and a leg. Many people see more results faster using bodyweight training 3 days a week than they ever did going to a gym and sitting on machines for hours each day . The problem is most people have little knowledge of bodyweight training, and unfortunatly most trainers have very limited experience with bodyweight. At Jungle Fit - Personal Training, we specialise in giving you the best workouts of your life with bodyweight, kettlebells, joint mobility, and so much more.

Finding yourself a trainer with a vast knowledge of bodyweight training is only a click away! No more excuses, just stop by www.jungle-fit.weebly.com for more information and be on your way to the body and life you deserve!

1st Post!

Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to say thank you for visiting the Jungle Fit-Personal Training Blog. In the coming weeks you can look forward to many posts on subjects such as Kettlebell Training, Joint Mobility, Bodyweight training, and much, much more! Stay tuned.

Be Sure to check out our website at www.jungle-fit.weebly.com for more information on personal training and boot camps!