Sarita Shoemaker

Trust The Process

m in the

Dear Boot Camper,

You are joining a program that is NOT a “lose weight fast” plan. That’s the stone-cold TRUTH.

Losing weight will not find you happiness like they made us believe. That’s MARKETING.

Seriously, you have to change the habits and behavior that got you into your current situation. Most humans can get rid of or keep a habit if they do it for 21 days.

Try this: move your silverware from its current location to a new place. You’ll continue to go to the old place…and in 21 days your brain will get a new habit!

THE FACTS AND THE TRUTH

We help people CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOR over time so that they have the tools and experience to KEEP THE WEIGHT OFF if they choose.

Personally I have tried many diet programs. I had “success” on them. It was right after my 2nd child and I was depressed. I lost weight quickly and got lots of compliments.

For about a year I was eating like a bird and exercising regularly on Saturday doing step-aerobics with a few girlfriends. My mom was ticked I was being such an idiot about nutrition but I had read enough and felt I knew better.
Sarita 198 Jordan Heather 1991 Me, far left. 991 and I weighed 198 lbs. For the past 5 years I’ve bounced between 155 and 165.

I completely eliminated fast food, I packed my lunch which always had a giant salad in it, I walked to work (it was possible), I added a lot of raw food to my diet. I ate salmon, tuna or chicken as my protein AND I went to a boot camp every day Monday-Friday. Most of you know I’m vegan now so I find my protein in plants and let me assure you I’m rarely starving. Don’t worry, if I visit your house plants are safe. 🙂

I lost the weight and have kept it off for two decades BY CHANGING MY HABITS. I’m shooting for a longer life without disease that is packed with delicious foods along the way.

Recently Randy said to me, “Honey, you are an EATER.” I was offended at first but the fact is I eat a LOT (nothing is left on my plate, ever) and I pig out and once in a while on unhealthy junk. I pay for it right away, but that’s my choice. I think that’s normal behavior for most of us. 90% of the time I’m giving myself nutrient dense food packed with vitamins, minerals and enzymes…and protein, fat and carbs.

It’s all about the change in my habits and lifestyle. I never EVER thought I could keep a habit beyond a few weeks (and when I stopped those unhealthy low-nutrient diets I gained the weight back PLUS some…including extra depression).

So, think about the future. TRUST THE SYSTEM you have found!

BUT RANDY & SARITA, WHAT IS YOUR “SYSTEM”?

Our philosophies are to get you eating LESS preserved foods and MORE fresh foods. What you are eating is 80% of a weight-loss/fat loss battle. The foods you eat are either making your body healthier or not. By now you should know.

We want you exercising at 100% SIX days every week and taking a day off to do something relaxing. We want you out of your comfort zone!

If you are injured, we want you to know how/what to do QUICKLY when an exercise isn’t right for you.

Trust our system, our 805 Boot Camp “process”.

Show up and eat healthy nutrient dense foods and YES YOU WILL GET SLIMMER, TRIMMER, HAVE MORE ENERGY AND BE HAPPIER!

You’ll be able to maintain it too.

🙂 Sarita & Randy

Starbucks…I’m OUT.

Sarita at Chumash Aid Technically Starbucks doesn’t directly support the fight against GMO Labels. They are part of a group that does though: The Grocery Manufacturers Association – the GMA.

The GMA says GMOs are safe and they’ve got big regulatory organizations supporting this: US FDA, WHO, Health Canada, The US Dept of Agriculture and National Academy of Sciences – “they are safe and no negative health effects associated with their use.”

Now, I don’t know about you, but SOMETHING is wrong when I personally have 6 people I know battling cancer, 3 people dealing with Diabetes 1, 10 people fighting Auto-Immune disorders…IN THE LAST 5 YEARS.

So, believe what you want. But seriously look around.

If these big regulatory organizations were helping us, don’t you think there would be LESS BAD HEALTH than IMPROVED HEALTH?

Sorry, “living longer” doesn’t mean a BETTER LIFE and HEALTHIER LIFE. I hear horror stories of people taking handfuls of pills to handle ailments, side-effects of those initial pills, can’t sleep pills, can’t stay awake pills, pain pills…oh my GOD I feel so sad to think that might be my future.

No, I’m no scientist and I’m just me. I am sort of a vegan. Can’t say 100%. I don’t like to even tell people I’m vegan because most everyone I know thinks it’s bullshit.

This week I have sincerely decided I do not want to eat foods made with GMOs.

I want to be able to choose! How am I supposed to know what is considered “traditional” and “organic” if the people the produce these food products don’t let me know?

It’s sad to think we are all being forced to accept these “facts”.

I go to sleep at night worrying about those people I listed above. I hope they are getting better. I wonder what the source of their illness is and if nutritionally better (packed with nutrients) foods would help.

Supporting Starbucks (for me) may as well be supporting the GMA. And the GMA doesn’t give a flying F___ about me, my health or quality of life. Do they care about yours? You be the judge.

I for sure know that all of those “regulatory organizations” do not care if I’m doing OK.

They all care about #1. Themselves and their investors. WHICH IS FINE, I DON’T CARE – but how about doing it without taking the skin off of my back.

I love and support LOCALLY GROWN, ORGANIC, NON-GMO AND FAIR TRADE.

I feel better at least trying to make a little difference in the right direction.

I write this blog post today to MAYBE rally the few people I know that also feel strongly about this topic.

Now I’m investigating a coffee to replace the Starbucks Guatemala Blen I’ve enjoyed for the past few years. I tried 86’ing coffee altogether because, yes I know, coffee isn’t good for me.

I thought about this. A lot. My memories of my mother keep this habit stuck for me. I would rather have those few moments every day thinking about my mom and our coffee love. Before she passed away OF BREAST CANCER AND THE COMPLICATIONS she gave up coffee. I wonder if the coffee was part of the downward spiral of her health.

Either way, I want to enjoy a cup of coffee every day – that is GMO free, Organic, hopefully local and Fair Trade.

Wish me luck. I’ll take any and all suggestions.

UPDATE: I found a coffee, wrote to the company and got a reply within hours. Coexist. I’ve ordered The Diplomat Roast. UPDATE JAN 2016 IT WASN’T VERY GOOD

I FOUND IT! The best coffee! Five Sisters. See my REVIEW HERE.

SHOES – Road and Trail Shoes

My Shoes - AFTER HOKA THERE ARE HUGE DIFFERENCES IN RUNNING SHOES

The main difference you will see visually are the variety of coordinated color options…JUST KIDDING.

When we have a brand new camper head out to a professional shoe store for a pair of shoes (Foot Pursuit, Road Runner or Future Track) we prepare the owners of those stores to PLEASE fit our clients properly. We actually visit an make eye contact because it’s THAT important!

We also know that sometimes you just won’t listen to us (or them) when it comes to clashing with your cute outfits!

For the love of Pete: get the right shoe figured out FIRST then PICK ONE of the color options that exist on planet earth right that second.

The number one reason for ignoring this sage advice: “they didn’t have the colors I wanted.”

New Shoes Aasics Koyanos Pink I get it though.

Who wants to look like a closet that has been through a tornado of color?

There are a few very important parts to a safe, injury-free (or reduced) and productive camp that have to do with apparel.

#1 – The correct shoe for your body
#2 – A SPORTS BRA for the gals, no matter what size, HIGH IMPACT READY
#3 – COMPRESSION SHORTS for the fellas

Looking OBNOXIOUS could actually save your life.

We WANT people to see you on the road! Wearing bright and obnoxious colors to camp is a way to BE NOTICED ON THE ROAD.

Steer clear of colors that blend into the environment whenever possible.

TRAIL VS ROAD SHOES

Look at the bottom of your shoes.

The tread is the biggest difference in a road or trail shoe.

On a trail the surface is never certain.

You want a sole that will give you stability and grip.

The road shoes should be sturdy, not flexible.

We wince when we see the sales person at a bargain place convincing a buyer of the quality of the shoe by bending it at the arch “see how flexible this is!?”.

In our 10+ years of experience, you need a STURDY SHOE that supports your foot strike.

Going to a professional running store and having someone with MILES AND MILES of experience running is what you need!

Once you find the right shoe you will LOVE ru NEW SHOES always a good thing

nning a lot more. You won’t feel aches and pains in your shins, ankles, calves or hips!

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I BUY SHOES?

Good question and one of the top at camp.

– If you are an aggressive camper you will begin to wear out the toe box of your shoe quickly.

– If you are suddenly experiencing a pain “you never had before” anywhere in your foot, your ankle, shin or knees. Personally when I get a pain from my pinky toe across the top of my foot into my ankle then up my shin it’s time to replace!

-300-500 miles (a full time camper will run about 3 miles average a day on our program) so a brand new pair of shoes can last 2 to 3 camps.

SHOE CARE

Don’t wear your camp shoes for bopping around in unless you have multiple pairs.

The compression portion of the shoe needs to refill with air and when you leave them alone it gives that a chance to replenish and cushion up!

Hose it – no washing machines. If you can stand it, take a hose to your shoes and lightly scrub brush them.

If they stink, submerge them in a 5 gallon bucket with soap and dunk/rinse a lot. Use a detergent booster to help get the smell out and let them dry toe down or heel down in the sunshine (a natural disinfectant).

Use a washing machine on a delicate gyration setting with beach towels (they absorb a lot of water and today’s washers are so sensitive they do not put enough rinse water in – my opinion.)

Exercise and Good Nutrition Rx

Leah at camp with Joseph 1 Rarely – if ever – will you find a medical doctor against adding regular exercise and good nutritional choices to help you feel better if you are dealing with ANY sort of ailment.

Imagine your body WITHOUT activity and movement on a regular basis. You become weak, floppy, tired, depressed, anxious, irritable, heavier, slower.

It’s JUST THE OPPOSITE when you stick with a plan and keep moving.

I’m always concerned about our kids and what they observe as a “happy and healthy” lifestyle. The smaller the child, the more absorbent they seem to be.

This is why I’d like to give a big shout-out to Leah for all she makes happen as a new mother. She has really put her son at the top of the list of priorities and includes him in pretty much everything. He will only understand this is “normal”.

If you are not already the DRIVER of your Health Bus, please put that hat on and rally your family. They will likely kick and scream if they’re used to a lazy, no-time, exercise-isn’t-THAT-important life. Just hang on to the wheel and TRUST THE PROCESS.

Common Sense Stuff About Getting OLD

Randy Morgan having dinner talking in kitchen Feb 2013 — Father’s give good advice.

MACRO AND MICRO NUTRIENTS
Keeping it simple helps you make a better choice

Our bodies are miracles.

Get a cut and your body will heal it. Break your leg…bam…it will repair it! This also includes: shave your legs and DANG IT…is there a REASON we need hair on our shin in this day and age?!

The natural growth of a body is like a plant growing from a seed.

Plant a seed good soil filled with nutrients, make sure it gets water and sun then watch it blossom to its full potential.

Science has proven that the right (or correct) balance of macro and micro nutrients is not simple at all.

According to the USDA’s website an article by Adrienne Youdim, MD, FACP “Overview of Nutrition: Macronutrients” starts off strong with “Nutrition is the science of food and its relationship to health. Nutrients are chemicals in foods that are used by the body for growth, maintenance, and energy. Nutrients that cannot be synthesized by the body and thus must be derived from the diet are considered essential. They include vitamins, minerals, some amino acids, and some fatty acids. Nutrients that the body can synthesize from other compounds, although they may also be derived from the diet, are considered nonessential. Macronutrients are required by the body in relatively large amounts; micronutrients are needed in minute amounts.”

The bottom line is: we need vitamins, minerals, some amino acids and some fatty acids.

Wrap - bean veggie carrot — That’s a wrap! Steamed carrots, black beans, cabbage on lettuce. Spicy hot chili sauce (sriracha).

As we age there are plenty of road signs telling us: GET UP AND MOVE! That burns energy which means EAT!

A progressive loss of lean body mass can occur with aging. Starting after 40 years old women lose about 11 lbs and men 22 lbs of muscle! Add in the lack of nutritient-dense foods plus sedentary lifestyles and that will increase. Ref: Merck Manual Overview of Undernutrition by John E. Morley, MB, BCh.

Mr. Morley writes, “Aging decreases basal metabolic rate (due mainly to decreased fat-free mass), total body weight, height, and skeletal mass; from about age 40 to age 65, mean body fat (as a percentage of body weight) increases to about 30% (from 20%) in men and to 40% (from 27%) in women.”

So let’s get outside, build up our fat-free mass (imagine what body parts we’re talking about) and eat foods filled with nutrients.

For our campers: bring multiple sets of varying weights to camp to do, especially if you are a believer in the science of our bodies and want to stave off “old age” problems.

Just for kicks take a minute to look at different foods you eat and compare them to the Percentage Daily Recommended (%DV) of an adult consuming a 2,000 calorie reference diet. Remember: your personal daily values may be different.

I use Nutrition Data for a quick and detailed report. Personally I love charts and maps and could spend hours just staring at them “imagining” scenarios that apply to my own life or plans.

If you are wondering what your daily requirements should be, visit the USDA’s National Agricultural Library where health care professionals go to calculate the information.

References:
Overview Of Nutrition by Adrienne Youdim, MD, FACP
http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/nutritional-disorders/nutrition-general-considerations/overview-of-nutrition?qt=&sc=&alt=#

Undernutrition by John E. Morley, MB, BCh
http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/nutritional-disorders/undernutrition/overview-of-undernutrition#

Be The Boss Of Your Health

Black Bean pasta artichoke avocado salad tomato carrot Dinner Lunch Thankfully the internet can prove anything you want. Seriously.

Our (Randy and I) education in healthy and fitness covered thorough exploration and EXPLANATION of how our food is made up of energy – aka CALORIES. From actual text books, not promotional websites.

This week I am going to give you some stunning news: no amount of alcohol is helpful in any weight loss or fat loss dream. NONE.

That is the tip of the iceberg on how disastrous alcohol is for our bodies though.

Carbohydrate (complex and simple) provides 4 calories per gram, protein provides 4 calories per gram, and fat provides 9 calories per gram. Alcohol has 7 calories per gram!

Why is this significant?

Because, if you are trying to fill your body with NUTRIENTS to work harder, build muscle and get stronger you need to consume nutrient-dense foods!

What does “nutrient dense” mean? Simply put: calories that contain lots of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals! They are foods packed with VALUE that will help your body, not take away from it’s natural processes (or tax them).

Without getting too detailed, you can find nutrients in complex carbohydrates (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, lentils, peas), fats (mono and polyunsaturated are what you should go for like avocado, olive oil, corn oil, peanut oil, some fish) and proteins (lean meats, green vegetables like kale, broccoli).

The lists of NUTRIENT DENSE and NUTRIENT FILLED foods is enormous.

BUYER BEWARE. Read labels. Marketing has invaded our market (grocery) and the definition of buzzwords like “healthy” “wholesome” “natural” “organic” “lite” “Low Fat” “Low Calorie” “artificial” are just a FEW the packaging will contain yet behind the curtain you’ll see a list of ingredients you might not actually understand. DON’T GIVE UP!

Nowadays when we shop we look at ingredients. They do list them in order of quantity within the item which is great. We go for the least words we don’t understand and even better 100% words we understand!

A quick example of how many ways you will and can see a SWEETENER in an item. For the record, these are not all bad or man-made! Treacle, for example, is another word for molasses , sugar and corn syrup combined (and just happens to be one of Harry Potter’s favorite treats).

I found 44 different words you might see on a label:

acesulfame
agave
agave nectar
aspartame
barley malt extract
brown rice syrup
brown sugar
corn sugar
corn sweetener
corn syrup
crystiline fructose
dehydrated cane sugar juice
dextrin
dextrose
evaporated cane juice
evaporated cane syrup
fructose
fruit juice concentrate
glucose
golden syrup
high fructose corn syrup
honey
invert sugar
lactose
malt syrup
maltodextrin
maltose
mannitol
maple syrup
molasses
neotame
raw sugar
rice syrup
saccharin
saccharose
sorbitol
sorghum syrup
splenda
sucralose
sugar
syrup
treacle
turbinado sugar
xylose

You have control over what you put into your body and you are RESPONSIBLE for it too.

Go for the least amount of processing done on a food as possible. Additives can ruin what you think is “healthy”. Sodium is “natural” but you need to watch the amount you consume!

“Healthy” should be defined as filled or packed with nutrient-rich ingredients in my world.

The healthier we eat, the better our bodies should work. It’s not a miracle.

Alcohol contains no proteins, minerals or vitamins. When we consume it our body manages it like it would FAT and converts alcohol sugars into fatty acids. To make it worse, alcohol inhibits the absorption of important nutrients our body needs: thiamin, b12, folk acid and zing.

Just looking into thiamin (or vitamin B1) ALONE is shocking.

According to studies published by the National Institute of Health low levels of B1 were present in the following diseases: diabetes, alzheimer’s disease and heart failure!! Three of the TOP KILLERS in our world right now.

Forget trying to lose fat: how about STAYING ALIVE and living a BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE?

Let’s stay focused on trusting the process: eat healthy and exercise daily – keep moving across the planet.

Removing alcohol from your diet will only make your body happier from the inside out.

Daily intake, in my opinion, is harmful to your waistline as well as your health. That would be called a HABIT and it is tough to break habits.

Maybe a glass of wine once in a long while, in the perfect conditions you can make (for me, sitting on our back porch with the pets or kids around), with the highest quality or favorite bottle you can swing would be a better plan.

That’s my new plan. I’ve got to start hunting for a bottle of Opus One. Camp finishes June 10th for a week off and the SoCal evenings are the best in June!