PJ's Fitness Blog – Page 34 – A blog about a fitter you. Come find out what is on the cutting edge of fitness science and be a part of the ongoing conversation.

Sticks and Stones May Break Your Bones, But Words Can Make You Lean!

It might sound crazy, but changing your vocabulary can actually make you burn more fat. It can also make you stronger and build up your body. This is due to specific effects that words have on your physiology.

Most men can think of 3-5 positive or negative emotions in 10 seconds. Most women can think of 4-7 positive or negative emotions in the same amount of time. Try it yourself. In 10 seconds, think of as many positive emotions as you can, and then in another 10 seconds think of as many negative emotions as you can. Write them down, and you will be looking at your most common experiences in a typical day.

Expanding your emotional vocabulary will expand your experiences, and it can even help you get leaner. Every time you

High-Carb Foods Harm Your Heart

When researchers talk about “carbohydrates”, they really mean sugars and refined flour products like white bread. These empty-calorie foods dominate most Americans’ diets … and when consumed in excess, they cause fat gain, raise blood sugar levels, promote inflammation, and raise heart and diabetes risks.

There is already plenty of evidence that diets high in carbohydrate-laden foods like pastries, white bread, and refined-flour cereals can be detrimental to cardiac health, but in a new landmark study, research from Tel Aviv University now shows exactly how these high-carb foods raise the risk of cardiovascular disease (Shechter M et al. 2009).

The Israeli researchers divided 56 healthy volunteers into four groups and assigned them to eat one of four things:

Hello Alki X Gym!

The first few days at the Alki X Gym went well, despite the fact that there were only 8 clients left for us by the time we took over last Wedesday (down from 110 about a month ago).

New clients are joining, past Alki X Gym members are returning, and some are coming over from Belltown, so things are looking better every day. We have some great plans to repair the damage that has been done, and our new outdoor boot camp program is already breathing new life back into it as well (contact Kailyn through k@xgym.com to get in on the classes).

Evan, Joanna, Steve, Mike and Kailyn are the best trainers in the world, so I couldn’t have a better team to make this the strongest X Gym ever. I am very excited to make this succeed again with the help of such a fine group of people. It will make us closer, tighter, and even better than ever before!

My specialty is start-ups, and it looks like we have been handed one here for sure. Besides, everyone likes a comeback kid…

Farewell Belltown X Gym

As of July 1, I will be exclusively at the Alki and Kirkland X Gyms per the divorce ruling. Evan, Joanna, Steve, Mike, Kailyn and I are all going to Alki, and the Alki crew will be at the Belltown club. It will still be called X Gym, and as far as I know, the protocols will stay the same too.

I have formed many close friendships at the Belltown club and hope to keep in touch with everyone. I can be contacted any time through my email (pj@xgym.com), the website (www.xgym.com), and the club phones at Alki (206) 938-9496 or Kirkland (425) 822-9496.

Losing any of the 3 clubs is a tragedy for me and I am extremely sad to say goodbye to Belltown. I wish to thank all the members there for their friendship, patronage, and help in making it the most successful X Gym ever. It was a blast!

The Belltown club will always have a special place in my heart. It was my first X Gym, and the one I bought over 11 years ago from my very first personal training client and dear friend, Melissa. There are so many fond memories there. It will be extremely difficult to tear myself away, but life throws us curve balls sometimes, and we just have to make the best of them.

With change comes opportunity as well, so I’m looking forward with wonderful anticipation to the changes I can now bring to Alki with my “A Team” of senior trainers. Evan, Joanna, Steve and Mike have been at the Belltown X Gym the longest, and are amazing at what they do. Kailyn will bring his ideas for growth and skills in customer service as well. I know the Alki clients will be thrilled with the improvements in store for them!

We will also be rolling out a new online schedule system for Alki and Kirkland members, a new website, and an outdoor boot camp (see video below).

Thanks again for the memories Belltown! You will forever bring a smile to may face and warmth to my soul.

Here is the new outdoor boot camp teaser clip. It’s pretty corny, but that’s what you get when you shoot, produce, and publish in one afternoon: