San Diego Boot Camp

Everyone wants to trim, tone, and tighten their waist and body, but the problem is most people just don't burn enough calories during the day.

In some ways it's really not your fault. You may work at a desk for 8 - 10 hours a day and have very few opportunities to get up and move around during the day. BUT, you can't let that be an excuse for you not to burn more calories than you take in. I've found the best way burn some extra calories during the day is to have my clients get away from their desk for 30+ minutes during lunch. I encourage them to go for a brisk walk before sitting down to eat a healthy and nutritious meal. Even a 20 minute fast-paced walk gets the blood flowing and the metabolism raised. And, rather than getting together to eat and drink, use weekends for time to spend with family and friends and take on new adventures and activities.

You'll also burn about 100 calories in that 20 minutes. (And who doesn't want that?)

Also, I recommend that my clients look for other means (besides their actual workouts) to be active and burn calories in creative ways throughout the day and on the weekends. Here are 5 fun and easy ways to get up out of your chair, stretch your legs, and start getting fit.

Quick 100 Calorie Burners: Read the rest of this entry

Wondering why the boot camp workouts by Bootique Fitness are only 45 minutes?

Wouldn't a full hour be a better workout? If you've ever wondered why we do 45 minute workouts, keep reading. There are 5 distinct reasons why we specialize in a well-balanced 45 minute workout as opposed to a 60 minute workout.

Reason 1: Goals

At Bootique Fitness, we focus on two goals for your workout: fast fat loss & creating lean, toned muscles. High intensity, fat burning activities ultimately lead to greater gains in lean calorie-burning muscle, a faster metabolism and a toned, scuplted looking body.

Reason 2: Efficiency

We are very proud to offer incredibly effective workouts that are also time efficient. Our approach and focus on using exercises that engage multiple muscle groups at one time allows us to accomplish a lot in a more compact workout. It's not how much time you spend, it's how much work you accomplish.

These workouts are designed to get you the quickest results in the shortest amount of time. Our workouts are far from boring and we incorporate many different types of training tools and methods. When done correctly, a 45 minute workout a few times per week is all you need to get in great shape! The results you get from it are noticeable so fast, it became naturally motivating to continue.

Reason 3: Realistic Read the rest of this entry

Sarah, one of our fantastic personal trainers in San Diego, shows you how to do a strong leg workout with a resistance band that will shape and sculpt your bum and thighs.

All you need for this workout is a heavy resistance band. That means you want an exercise band with enough resistance that doing 15 reps of each of these exercises will be really challenging for you, but you can still do it - in good form!

This circuit has 4 exercises that you do back to back without rest to get your heart rate up and burn more fat. After you complete a full circuit, rest for 20-30 seconds and then repeat the circuit 3-5 more times to really challenge yourself and get the firm legs you're looking for.

Boot Camp Exercise #1 - squat and a half with a resistance band
Boot Camp Exercise #2 - ice skaters
Boot Camp Exercise #3 - single leg squats with a resistance band on your left leg
Boot Camp Exercise #4 - single leg squats with a resistance band on your right leg

Try it out and let us know how you did. Leave a comment and tell us how many circuits you completed.

Using correct portion sizes will help you successfully lose weight.

To avoid having to pull out you measuring cups with each meal, learn to recognize what proper portions are by associating them with objects you are already familiar with. These life size visual aids (click on the photos above to enlarge) will help you recognize good portion sizes and enhance your fat loss efforts.

I dare you to make an excuse now!

Leave a comment and let us know how you overcome making excuses.

You can do this High Intensity Cardio Interval Workout ANYWHERE!

With the simplicity of this bodyweight HIIT (high intensity interval workout), you are no longer restricted to machines or gyms to do your fat burning cardio circuits. All you need for this workout is a Gymboss Interval Timer, 2 square feet of space and a lot of stamina!

This advanced cardio circuit is a 1-1 work-rest ratio. You will perform your high intensity exercise (squat jumps) for 30 seconds, followed by your lower intensity exercise (squats) for 30 seconds. You will repeat this circuit for the desired length of your workout.

We recommend 20 rounds!

Take water breaks as needed, just pause your timer. Or, you can follow along with our personal trainer, Fauntelle. She demonstrates 3 rounds, so feel free to rewind her and keep going!

You can also modify this workout to fit your fitness level. If this is too intense, lower the intensity of each exercise. Instead of squat jumps, do squats for your high intensity. Since squats are your high intensity, choose something less intense for your lighter intensity, for example: walk in place. Keep building up your fitness level by pushing yourself from where to are to higher intensity levels.

Don't forget, warm-up before each workout and cool-down after. Look in our video library for examples of warm-ups and cool-downs.

Leave a comment and tell us how you did with this advanced cardio circuit!

Every time you come to boot camp, your goal should be to work hard and get results.

There are some key elements of fat loss that, if done incorrectly, can completely derail your workout sessions. We all have some ideas about how to lose weight and especially how to blast away fat, but if you're working hard and not seeing results, consider the fact that there are 3 key fat loss myths that may be stopping you from reaching your weight loss goals.

1. Restricting Calories

Time and again, people believe that less is more when it comes to food. While it's true that living a healthy lifestyle requires a certain amount of discipline regarding the types and amount of foods eaten, it doesn't require starvation. In fact, drastically reducing your calorie intake as you are working out intensely (as you should be each time you attend boot camp) will ensure that your body will begin stealing energy from your muscless, resulting in almost no fat loss.

The best way to reach your weight loss goals is to feed your body in a timely manner so it can maintain muscle growth. In order to do that, try eating 5-6 small meals per day. If you can fit that into your lifestyle, the maintain eating 3 meals per day and work in 2 snacks. The key is to plan the meals and snacks so you're not snacking on junk food and sabotaging your workouts.

Read the rest of this entry

Cravings are triggered by everything from changes in blood sugar, hormone imbalances, insufficient nutrition, along with emotional and mental causes that make food appear to be the hero.

These tips will help you be the one in charge of the food you eat and allow you to stage your personal craving intervention.

Pay attentions to cravings:

A study reported in Apptitie revealed that those who accept cravings without becoming frustrated or giving into temptation had fewer overall cravings. Participants were taught to pinpoint different bodily sensations in order to understand the longevity of a craving and how to defeat it.

Keep a foodie journal:

Jot down what kind of cravings you encounter and why that specific craving arose. Is what you are feeling physical hunger? What are the cravings triggered by? Identify patterns in your craving. By singling them out, you can be prepared to tackle them in a smarter fashion then just giving in. Overall, a journal will help you to keep track of what goes into your body and your eating patterns.

Show food who’s the boss:

Day dreaming about food you’ve tokened as hands-off is only going to haunt you even more. Restraining yourself from specific items only amps up their appeal, causing a sense of craving them to basically corner you. Those who create an “off-limits” list, have reported to crave those certain foods the more. A Physiological Behavior study showed that people crave an un appetizing food as long as it is untouchable. Simply put; as soon as you can’t have it… you inevitably want it. Minimize what you restrict yourself from and allow moderate tasting to avoid going overboard with cravings.

Read the rest of this entry

Sarah, one of our great San Diego Personal Trainers, gives you an incredible leg sculpting, fat burning workout. You can follow along to this short, intense, powerful workout to get sleek, toned legs! One circuit will only take you 3 minutes. We recommend doing 3-5 circuits total to get a great workout that will keep you metabolism soaring all day!

Be sure to warm up before you get into this circuit, repeat this circuit 3-5 times with 30 seconds rest between circuits, then cool down and stretch after.

Here's the workout breakdown:

1 Circuit = 3 minute

Alternating strength exercises with cardio exercises. Set your gymboss interval timer to 40:20. Each strength exercise is for 40 seconds, each cardio exercise is for 20 seconds.

Strength Exercise #1 - Elliptical Squats
Cardio Exercise #1 -   Wide Burpee Legs
Strength Exercise #2 - Step Ups
Cardio Exercise #2 - Hop Over Mats
Strength Exercise #3 - Surrender Squats
Cardio Exercise #3 - Plank Jacks

What do you think of this workout? Leave a comment and let us know.

One of the most often reasons people do not have the bodies they have always wanted and they are working so hard for is because they are overeating or binge eating. While we know that it can sometimes feel like you have no other option other than to eat that whole bag of cookies - the truth is - you do!

While there are many reasons why you might be overeating, these 13 tips can have a really good effect at helping you catch yourself in the act. And - as you practice, you will catch yourself even before you start. So, practice these tips and watch how wonderfully they will work for you!

1. Pinpoint what brings on a binge eating session

and devise a plan of action for when you come face to face with the temptation.

2. Make a food journal of everything,

and we mean everything that you eat throughout the day. Keep things simple but DO NOT skip out on logging anything. Try to maintain a record of at least 75 percent of what you eat in order for this to work.

3. Socialize in a food free environment.

Get your friends together for a bike ride, hike, a new class, or take a walk to the park. All foodless, fun, social activities.

4. Be a smart diner outer.

Skip over the entire menu straight to the salads section. If you are getting something else, try and split it with someone or ask the waiter/tress to box up half and serve you the other half. It’s all about portion control.

5. Avoid creating your own temptation.

You are in control of what foods you surround you with so make smart choices. Fill up your cupboards with carrots, fruit salad, low fat frozen yogurt, rice cakes, and other low calorie, healthy treats.

6. Instead of eating while on your computer or watching the television,

belly up to your table. Really take in the look, taste, smell, and deliciousness of each bite. This will help you slow down and focus on how much you are taking in.

7. Eat small meals all throughout the day.

This will help stabilize your blood sugar and spike your energy levels. If you get too hungry, you will be more apt to go overboard next time you eat.

8. Avoid the fad diet route.

By depriving your body of food or a specific food, your body will crave it more leading to eating too much of it.

9. Buy individually wrapped packages.

Single serving snacks are a huge help when it comes to portion control. Plus, they are easy to take when on the go.

10. If you feel a hunger pain,

give your body about ten minutes to truly decipher if it is real or not. Are you really hungry or are you just bored? It is important to know the difference between the two. Do something else to occupy your time and your mind and then check back in to see what your body is telling you about the craving. Sometimes your mouth just wants something to chew on.

11. Control your appetite before heading to a party

by snacking on something healthy like fruit or a whole grain snack. Then avoid the buffet table at the party and focus on mingling and catching up with everyone.

12. Keep your idle fingers on the move.

It is too easy to grab something when you are bored or watching t.v. Instead, do a puzzle, buff your nails, or knit.

13. Most people tend to binge eat when they are stressed out.

Find another way to tackle stress that works for you. Whether it be a bath, meditation, a date with a friend, or anything else that will keep you from stuffing your face uncontrollably.

Have you tried any of these before? How did they work for you? Tell us about your success!