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Happy Easter Sunday: I hope you had an amazing weekend, spent some quality family time, rested and refreshed yourself. Now get ready to bring your inner athlete this week.

FIT Challenge
Congrats to our Challenge Winners

             Jen Ames and Ryan Thurber                               Suzanne and Mike Castillo

Last week's fitness challenge included 8 stations: TRX rows, Bosu burpees, Battle Rope Slams, Jump Rope, Med ball slams, wall push ups, step ups, and dips. participants performed max reps for 1 minute and had 1 minute to rest before moving on to the next station.

It was a fun and challenging workout. All the participants gave their best effort and performed well. We even had a couple of new members who did great.

Our morning class champs were Jen Ames and Ryan Thurber with 809 total reps and Suzanne and Mike Castillo were our evening class champs with 952 total reps.

Sprints
How Do Athletes Train?
Pretty much like we do. Bring your inner athlete every day.
 
      We will be incorporating sprints into our outdoor classes. What are the benefits?

World Class Coach and Founder of Training for Warriors on Sprinting:

Why is sprinting such a great exercise? 
Most trainees aren't doing any speed work and it's a shame. Yes, they lift, but lifting weights and then sitting on the couch is incomplete in my opinion. This is because you're missing a vital part: sprinting. Sprinting, a long, long time ago used to be mandatory. If you couldn't sprint it meant you'd be the first one who got chowed down on. You were the slowest one in the herd and you'd get weeded out. Not only does sprinting get your nervous system fired up, it also releases endorphins and growth hormone, and activates muscle fibers that would otherwise be dormant. That means triggering muscle growth and burning fat, all while doing something you were always intended to do!  So I believe the longer you go without performing this activity, the closer you get to the big "dirt nap".  Hey, it's not nasty, it's nature.

Sprinting works at ton of the body's musculature, fires up fast twitch fibers, and can help burn fat. Who wouldn't want to look like an Olympic sprinter anyway?  So instead of ignoring the obvious, stop walking on the treadmill and move. If you haven't sprinted in a while, however, common sense is key. I may have you inspired to sprint, but going out for the first time since high school and trying to rip off ten 100-meter sprints will probably help you rip off both hammies instead. Just like you wouldn't throw 400 lbs. onto the bar for your opening bench workout, you must ease into the sprinting.
FIT Nutrition


When you eat whole, nutritious food it heals, protects, and fuels your body to be strong, energized, and happy.  What's on your plate?



Want to lose body fat and get lean?

Here are the five questions you need to ask yourself before you eat.
Q1. Are you eating too much food?
When fat loss is your primary goal, you should stop eating when you're about 80% full. This will leave you satiated but not belly-rubbing full. So, for this next meal, do you plan on eating a little less than you normally would?
You can eat from a smaller plate than usual. You can leave a little on the plate, instead of finishing everything in front of you. Or you can stop at one serving instead of going back for seconds. Whatever strategy you use, make sure you're decreasing your calories compared to what you might normally eat. 

Q2. Are you eating enough protein?
Your protein intake determines whether you're going to lose body fat or lean muscle. (Obviously, we want to lose the first and keep the latter.) So, for this next meal, is there enough lean protein included? Men should eat about 2 palm-sized portions and women should eat about 1 palm-sized portion.
You can choose from sources including: lean meats (chicken, turkey, fish, lean beef, lean game meats), lean vegetarian sources (tofu, tempeh, legumes), or powdered protein supplements. Whichever type you choose, make sure you're eating more protein than what you might normally eat. 

Q3. Are you eating too many sugars or starches?
Too many starches and sugars in your diet can prevent fat loss (or even cause fat gain). So, for
this next meal, are there too many starches, particularly processed ones like bread or pasta? Men should eat less than 1 fist-sized portion and women should eat less than half fist-sized portion. Also, the amount of sugar should be minimized.
Starches in the diet include grains, pasta, potatoes, rice, bread, and other carb-dense foods. And added sugars can be found in pop/soda, fruit juices, salad dressings, desserts, sweet snacks, and more. Again, you don't have to cut these out completely. You just have to be sure to eat fewer of them than usual. 

Q4. Are you eating enough vegetables?
By replacing your grains with greens, you'll still feel satisfied at the end of a meal while also increasing your intake of fiber and other important vitamins/minerals. So, for this next meal, are you eating enough vegetables? For fat loss, men should eat about 1 cup while women should eat about half cup.
While most people think of salads when veggies are brought up, many other options are available. Baked, grilled, sautéed, or steamed veggies all count. As do foods like pesto or even kale chips. Regardless of which veggies you choose, make sure you're eating more than usual. 

Q5. Are you including enough healthy fats?
Highly processed fats, often found in processed foods, can ruin your health and lead to fat gain. However, a healthy mix of other naturally occurring fats is important for fat loss. So, for this next meal, are you eating some healthy fats?
You can choose from sources like olive oil, avocados, raw nuts (not roasted), raw seeds, and omega-3 rich fish oils. Whichever type you choose, make sure you're adding healthy fats to your diet while replacing the unhealthy ones. 

FIT Scenes
It's Spring: Get Outside
    

FIT Members
Livermore Half Marathon
Jessica Thurber, Fernando and Sylvia Loera


Congratulations to Sylvia on achieving a new PR at the Half Marathon of 2:00 hours. 
 
Upcoming Events
Rock Your Jean's Challenge

April 11- June 4th.
Join us for an 8 week fitness and nutrition program and lose 2 jeans sizes in 8 weeks. Registration opens April 1st. Stay tuned for registration details.

Races and Race Prep
FIT Run Club
If you need advice on training for long runs, running faster times, tips and strategies, or  qualifing for races like the Boston Marathon, we can help.


Upcoming Races
Wharf to Wharf Registration is Friday April 1
Don't Miss it



Click images to register
FIT Gear
  Represent Your FIT Team
Motivation

Stay Focused and be great this week and every week: I am so proud of all of our FIT members for the hard work and dedication you put in each and every workout as well as they way you inspire each other. You are all the epitome of TEAM.

Sincerely, 

 
Mike Coleman
Focused Integrated Training
408-645-0710
 
 
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