Leona and I decided to challenge ourselves by buying a package of 5 boot camp sessions on Living Social (one of our favorite online deal finders in the Los Angeles area.) At an incredible low price of $25 we decided we had nothing to lose but body fat.
When I contacted Adrian at West Coast Boot Camp to schedule our first class he informed me that there was a nutrition consultation included in the package. To be honest I initially declined the offer thinking that we were both pretty dialed in with our diets and I wasn’t thrilled about making a drive out to La Canada. On second thought, in the name of research for Adventures in Fitness and getting the complete experience, I called him back and scheduled an appointment with Dr. Joe Ferrara PhD for the following Saturday.
I was pleasantly surprised with the consultation experience and so happy that I changed my mind.
Click here to read on . . .
I have never been a real coffee drinker. I do have an in-home client that drinks coffee every morning. Since I train him a couple of times a week it is becoming a ritual to have a quick cup together before we workout.
He is nice enough to supply his fridge with “My” creamer which is Coffee Mate Vanilla flavored. I have read the ingredients and I know it is terrible for you. Ingredients include: Water, sugar, partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oil, sodium castenate, dipotassium phosphate, color added, natural and artificial flavors, sodium stearoyl lactylate, mono and diglycerides, polysorbate 60, carrageenan, beta-carotene color. Hmmm tasty!
So what are some alternatives? I came across this article that highlights some different options.
What’s In Your Coffee Creamer?
Another great article I found has a recipe for Homemade Coffee Mate. I think I’ll have to try that one as I am definitely not ready to drink black coffee.
Check out my new post on Adventures in Fitness LA where I join friends on a night hike into Topanga State Park.
Here is an excerpt or click here for the full article:
My colleague Dave Cantarella suggested I join he and his friend, Steve, on a night hike in Santa Monica. My reply was, “Sure! Will you keep the bats out of my hair?” He upped the ante by saying, “Yes and the Mountain Lions too.” Ahhh that’s a relief.
Since I am prepping for my cleanse program, doing something fun and healthy on a Saturday night seemed to fit. I packed my water and “fizzy tab” for a little late night energy and chose to wear long pants in case it got cool (okay . . . really it was to keep any critters from crawling up my legs.) We agreed to meet at 7:30pm to begin our hike.
As I was beginning to research and more fully understand the cleanse program, my mentor, Colleen Carney, recommended this great book. Author Jessica K. Black, ND gives a brief, but in-depth, 50 page explanation of the rationale behind the diet. She explains how inflammation in the body can lead to several diseases including heart disease, diabetes, chronic pain and insomnia.
The rest of the 200 page text is a great collection of recipes for everything from muffins to entrees to teas.
One concept that really stood out to me is how simple carbs can raise cholesterol. Here is an excerpt from the text,
“Simple carbohydrates raise blood sugar levels quickly and cause the body to increase insulin production, which triggers cholesterol synthesis. Therefore, increased insulin output caused by excessive amounts of sugar in the diet increases cholesterol levels, as well as promoting fat production and fat storage. Simply put, simply carbohydrates exacerbate diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol and poor lipid profiles.”
If you are considering the Embody Fitness Cleanse Challenge and want to understand more of the science behind it then check out the book.
A client observed that I have been “running” on my blog for over a week. Oops! I haven’t been running but I HAVE been pre-occupied with working on a new website that launched last week called Adventures In Fitness LA.
My partner Leona Laurie has been helping me with the Embody Fitness site since last year. When I moved to Los Angeles, I started writing about my fitness experiences as I explored my new city. Leona came to me with the idea of creating a new site that focused just on those specific adventures. Since she is moving to Downtown Los Angeles in a couple of weeks, we make the perfect team to explore together and create a resource of fitness activity information in Southern California. And that is how AdventuresInFitnessLA.com was born. Read more »
It took a bit of negotiating but Marty Potts agreed to a modified version of the 28 day cleanse program. I get it. Summer is a tough time of year to restrict yourself from alcohol and treats especially when you’re dining with 8 year old triplet sons!
I knew Marty would find success with the cleanse so I wanted to help him find a way to make it happen that was reasonable for him. He had back surgery months before and was just getting into his workout routine. Fighting inflammation at this stage is key for his progress. Read more »
In the midst of my workout motivation slump I had lunch with a girlfriend who is a Pilates trainer. She told me that she had been seeing a personal trainer in North Hollywood once a week for over a year. Right away I said, “I’ll share sessions with you if that’s an option!?” She said yes and that is what brought me to the World Sports Center on Lankershim for my first time EVER being a paying client of a personal trainer.
I had to laugh at myself as I somewhat fumbled asking where the lockers were and did they have towels . . . you would think it was my first time in a gym. Garry, my trainer, introduced himself and he definitely fit the description I had heard of a big tall, black guy with dreads with a pleasant demeanor. I resisted the urge to launch into my concerns and physical issues I wanted him to be aware of before we started. “Don’t be a pain in the ass.” I told myself, “Just go with the flow.” Read more »
Woohoo! Our Challengers made it through the 8 weeks of staying focused on their individual goals and habits. Our top three point earners are:
1st Place: Dona Lisa
2nd Place: Tony
3rd Place: Leona
“I didn’t make a perfect 20- but stil have been really happy with my progress” — Julie (Who joined us half-way in.)
“I actually got my saddle on the horse by myself!! All 45 – 50 pounds of it!! Couldn’t believe it. Am doing these yoga upper arm exercises and they are working!!! yippee. I win for me.” – Amy
” Now for the biggest bonus…following my example, my husband has started to exercise & become more aware of what he’s eating & drinking. He’s already lost 15lbs. 
” — Dona Lisa
Awesome work everyone!
As a novice hiker I decided to start with a trail in the Hollywood Hills that I have heard a lot about, Runyon Canyon. For the city folk it’s a super convenient trail that starts just up from Hollywood Blvd and Fuller Street.
The reviews I found on this hiking trail made it sound very crowded and not a true “outdoorsy” experience. I could see their point but I was pleasantly surprised at some of the inclined, dirt paths that helped get my heart rate up pretty quickly. There are a few forks in the road and it was helpful to ask the other hikers which way was best for what I was looking for. Read more »
Last week on Facebook my status was, “I need a personal trainer!” It created quite a response including several people who simply wrote, “huh?” Yes, it’s true. Personal training is about motivating people to push themselves out of their comfort zone to become, stronger, faster, leaner, etc. So what about me?
How many people do you know that work in a restaurant or store and say, ” I never want to eat/shop there again!” That’s how I have been feeling about the gym. I know hundreds, possibly even a 1000 exercises to do using free-weights, machines, medicine balls, bosu balls, resist-a-balls, bands, jump ropes and so on. Sometimes I’m just sick of it, like right now.
My solution is to look for classes and colleagues to help. Last week I simply started following my trainer friend, Shannon Morgan, around the gym as she did her workout. She grabbed a ball and did crunches so I followed suit. She did a wall sit (which I hate and would have never done more than a minute without her) and so did I. My competitive nature even had me pulling more weight than I was ready for and she politely reminded me I didn’t have to do EXACTLY what she was doing. Just like that within 30 minutes I had completed a workout that I know would have never happened had she not been willing to let me join in. Thank you Shannon!
The following day I went back to the Cirque School in Los Angeles on Hollywood Blvd. This time our conditioning class added in some trapeze tricks. Which . . . I guess I like but it really hurts to hang by your knees. It feels like it’s squishing some tendons that weren’t intended to be squeezed but I’m gonna try to tough it out on that one. I did learn some amazing pull-up exercises that have left me really sore again.
Those new ideas led me into today’s gym adventure. I showed my training mentor and friend, Paul Redman, some variations of the trapeze pull-ups that he could do on the cable rack. He is one of the strongest people I know so it was fun to watch him pound out 15 reps of things that I could barely do 5 of. It was also nice to hear that his arms got really torched and he was concerned he couldn’t finish his workout. (Trainers all have an evil side.) In exchange he made me do 6 handstand push-ups. I got into a handstand, he held my feet and I had to touch my head to the floor and push myself back up. Luckily he was able to pull my body up so the last one didn’t leave me a jumbled pile on the floor.
So I will keep you posted on the various ways I come up with to stay in shape without going into the gym and going about my usual routine. Like I told my friend Leona who started turning orange from eating too many oranges a day, “Variety is the spice of life.”
Tags: bored fitness routine, by Kendra Cannoy, Cirque School LA, handstand push-up, Paul Redman, Personal trainer Newport Beach, pull-ups, Shannon Morgan, trapeze conditioning
Exercise, Uncategorized | kendra | 
June 7, 2010 7:03 pm | 
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