NEED A KICKSTART? START WITH THE BASICS.

Summer is over, kids are back in school, you are at work. But I'm guessing that you probably had some summer cocktails during your vacation(s), which means you probably took some time off from the gym. Is anyone out there feeling a little more puffy and out of shape after this fun summer? You are not alone. Time to get back to basics and clean it up!

Starting on September 18th I (Jen) will lead a three week nutrition program to get everyone back to the basics of eating clean. This program is designed for the nutrition novice, the guru and everyone between. You can be a current TCS client, or just a member of the Austin community ready to make a change with your eating habits. Everyone needs a kickstart sometimes, right? 

this program INCLUDES :

• TCS SPEED class on Sept.  24th and Oct.8th @ 730am
• TCS Conditioning Class on Oct. 1 @ 9am
• Detailed food list to make it easy
• Measurements
• Monitored food log
• One on one time if needed
• Accountability! 

Benefits:

• Better mood
• Better sleep
• Clothes fit better
• More energy
• Clearer skin
• Actually being hydrated
• With all of these things your workouts become better as well. You are able to put more effort into it, use more weight, move your ass faster.

Important Dates:

• Kick off meeting Sunday September 18th at 11am. 
• Official Start - Monday morning the 19th.
• Official Finale - Monday October 10th (after final measurements).

SIGN UP HERE

TCS Nutrition Seminar

At Travis County Strength, it's well-known that we specialize in building strong, fit and mentally tough humans.  But, in order to really tap into the full potential of each individual, diet quickly becomes paramount - something that we all know and understand deep down (whether we want to admit it or not).

Just think of the human body as a machine.  Machines take fuel, right?  It's easy to understand that if you run your machine on shitty fuel, the output from that machine will undoubtedly be less than 100%.  On the flip-side....if you care for that machine and provide the highest quality fuel, you'll find that the output is far better.  Simple idea, right?

The same is true of the human machine - the body.  The fuel/food we ingest lays the foundation for human potential or output.

That's simple enough to understand I'm sure.  The more difficult part of this is weeding through the mass of information in regards to food, nutrition, diet.....whatever.  

Luckily, we have a coach - Crystal Bold, NTP - that has dedicated her time and energy to discovering the essentials (and the finite details) of a sustainable, high-quality way of feeding the machine.

Coach Crystal will be offering a 1-hour seminar designed to help you learn the basics of healthy living through dietary and lifestyle changes.  This will be a step-by-step process that will get you started in the right direction towards optimal health and well-being. 

WHEN?  

FRIDAY AUGUST 1ST @ 6:00PM-7:00PM

LOCATION?  

Travis County Strength
5501 N LAMAR BLVD, ATX

WHO?  

ANYONE!  OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

PRICE?

$15 Early Registration

$25 At the Door (Check or Cash ONLY)

Again,this seminar is open to the public, so friends and family are completely welcome to participate.  Crystal will also offer you the chance to ask any questions you may have during the last 15 minutes of the seminar, so start writing them all down!

This is amazing opportunity for all of the TCS athletes, and the fitness community in general, and I hope that you take advantage of the chance to learn and apply some quality information that will lead to a higher quality way of being.  See you there!

Seminar details and registration can be found by following the link below:

TCS Nutritional Basics

Got Ripped?

It's not just hard work in the gym....These chicks dial it in outside the TCS walls as well.

Every January LIFT Owner and Head Coach, Jen Shaw poses a "GET RIPPED" month of clean eating to her LIFT girls. This year the month was opened up to all the Travis County Strength ladies and the results were amazing!  Jen put this quick recap together detailing the parameters and the results of the Get Ripped month... 

I took the approach of a non-challenge. In fact, the word "challenge" is no longer used in my gym-ictionary. Challenges are meant to get you in better shape, eating better, and working out more. The problem with them is they are usually so strict and different from normal life that it's impossible to stick to them. Usually after the challenge it takes two weeks for everyone to get right back into old habits. There are actually people out there who live challenge-to-challenge at their gym. What a sad existence. Its a complete lack of self control. This has happened to the GET RIPPED month before, so this year I came up with something a little different." 

This year was all about getting through the WHOLE year. How can you learn to eat in one month for the rest of the year? By being realistic, smart about choices, and being REAL about what you want and what you need. Don't set yourself up for failure by going so far outside your normal realm of eating. Small steps and a plan. That is what we did this year. 

98% of the girls' biggest issue was wine and dessert.  Saying that 45 girls will not have that all month because its GET RIPPED is ridiculous and naive. It's called living. You do things you enjoy, you don't go through each day and slap yourself every time you want wine or chocolate. You are put on this earth for a very short period of time. You should enjoy yourself! The hard part is making a plan to keep what you love in your diet and still hit goals.

SO..... I did allow 4oz of wine...every single night. You could not save it up and get shit crazy on one night. You could have it- or not. If you have ever measured out 4oz you know that is not a lot. Usually just enough to cook and have quiet time in the kitchen and then sit down to dinner. However, I did not allow any desserts at all of any kind. The girls were extremely surprised by this rule,  but it went well! They knew it was there if they wanted it, and surprisingly not everyone partook. All the food was back to the basics: protein at every meal, healthy fats, and lots of vegetables. Keeping it simple, eat what you know is good for you. No crap. Be smart. 

The food logs were highly impressive! I am very proud of the knowledge these ladies have and glad to see they at times branched out and tried some new dishes. The most impressive by far was the way they supported each other, and if someone did fall and mess up they got right back on it. Most importantly they did not worry about the cheat- just accept it and get through the rest of the day. 

After a month and all the measuring the TCS women lost 85 total inches!! And I still have five girls to measure. That's incredible! I think the most important breakthroughs were the lessons of self control. I will be posting up some highlighted stories on this blog!! stay tuned.....

As promised, Jen has posted the results of some of the participants on her Lift4women blog, including some amazing before and after photos.  Be sure to check those updates for some potential inspiration for your very own transformation!