Spring/Summer Boot Camp to Start in May
Level 4 Boot Camp to Begin May 22

Come be a part of the first of three great Boot Camps this year. This is the Spring Boot Camp. It’s Level 4 which means it will be a tough one. It will run 7 weeks and will involve many new challenges that we have never done before.

We’ll be at different locations in the Columbia area each week, many we have never been at before. Each session will be approximately one hour.

We’re looking for 20 participants, but don’t wait until the last minute to sign up. Reserve a place now by emailing me at tim@grahamfitness.com or calling my cell phone at 803-447-8557 and leaving a message. No money is due until the first session on Saturday, May 22.

Here are the details:

Dates: May 22 through July 3
Locations: Various around Columbia
Time: 9 am to 10 am
Cost: $99 for first time participants
       $49 for repeat participants


Note: This will be the last time that these prices will apply. Future Boot Camps will be $99 for everybody, so all of you who have been through any previous Boot Camp, take advantage of this low price while it is still available.
      There are many reasons people neglect weight training, but none of them are good. Weight or resistance training should be a part of your workout. In his excellent book The Body Fat Solution, Tom Venuto outlines the reasons why weight training is so important:
1. If you are trying to lose weight, it is necessary to maintain lean muscle while you are in a calorie deficit, and weight lifting is the best way to make sure that happens. If you are cutting calories for a prolonged period, your body will get a large proportion of its energy needs by cannibalizing muscle. To prevent this, you must build muscle as you lose weight.
2. Serious weight lifting burns calories and increases fat loss. A good weight lifting program will burn several hundred calories a session, almost as many as a cardio workout.
3. Weight training increases your metabolism, because putting stress on muscles causes microtrauma to muscle fibers. The body must repair this trauma and that process burns calories well after your exercise session is over. Incidentally, it is the tearing and subsequent repairing of muscle fibers that increases the size and strength of muscles.
4. Weight training is good for heart health as well as improving blood cholesterol profiles, increasing insulin sensitivity, and increasing bone density and preventing or reversing osteoporosis.
5. Weight training helps reverse the ageing process. People who don’t maintain their muscle with strength workouts will lose about 40% of their lean muscle mass by age 65 and much more as they continue to age. When it comes to muscles, you use it or lose it. Weight training is as close to the fountain of youth that you will ever get.
6. Weight training is the chisel you use to sculpt your body. Weight loss without weight training only makes you a smaller version of yourself. Weight training allows you to build muscle and definition exactly where you want it.


      Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” This is so true with working out and eating right. Both require consistency which is achieved by habit.


      I heard an ad on the radio the other day advertising some new diet or supplement. I’m not sure what the product was, because I wasn’t really paying any attention until they said you could expect to lose 12 pounds in 7 days on this thing. It’s 		absolutely amazing the claims that are made to persuade you to part with your money. In the words of Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, “Mendacity! It’s all mendacity!”
      Anyone can do the math on this and see how preposterous it is. To lose 12 pounds requires you to burn 42,000 calories more than you consume. To do that in 7 days requires a 6000 calorie deficit per day. An athletic highly active 6 foot 5 inch, 375 pound NFL lineman only burns about 4800 calories a day. Even if he fasted for seven straight days, he would not lose 12 pounds.
      Please don’t believe outlandish weight loss claims. Do the math yourself. Remember, in order to lose one pound, you have to burn 3500 more calories than you consume.
      A reasonable weight loss goal is one or two pounds a week. To lose one pound a week, you need a daily deficit of 500 calories. A two pound a week loss requires you to burn 1000 calories more than you eat every day. By eating a little less and exercising a little more, these are attainable goals. Anything more is contra-indicated.


      The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index was released earlier this month. It listed the Top 10 least fat cities in the United States and the Top 10 fattest cities. The fittest cities were headed by Fort Collins, CO, and followed by Boulder, CO. and Barnstable, MA. All three cities have obesity rates under 17%. The most obese cities are Montgomery, AL, and Stockton, CA, with obesity rates around 35%. Eating more fruits and vegetables and having access to parks were contributing factors to a city’s overall health.


      In order to lose weight, it is necessary to figure out why you gained weight in the first place. It’s easy to blame external factors such as your parents, your genes, having a baby, or your metabolism, but losing weight requires honesty. Almost all of the time, being overweight is the result of eating too much and not exercising enough.
      Start by taking a serious look at your eating habits, including your portion sizes. Keep an eating journal for a month. Note what you are eating and why. Do you eat for comfort or stress relief? Do you exercise consistently and with enough intensity to get results? Once you’ve answered these questions honestly, you’re on your way to making some changes.
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      Every year I give myself a Fitness Exam. I measure my waist and check my height, weight and body fat percentage, and I perform several fitness tests. The tests include a 1 Rep Max (1RM) bench press, pushups, and distance run. The run is a timed 3.25 mile run (13 laps) on a standard 400 meter track.
      I completed this year’s test a couple of weeks ago, and these are my results at 62 years old:
Height: 5’7”
Weight: 136.8 pounds
Waist: 32.25 inches
Body Fat %: 9.2%
1RM Bench Press: 152 pounds (111% of weight)
Pushups: 60
Distance run: 29:28 (9:04 per mile)
      I’ve been keeping these records for four years since I was 59. I haven’t started shrinking yet which is a good thing. My waist is about the same as it was when I was in the Navy 40 years ago. My body fat is up 1% since 2006. My weight is 7 pounds less than it was in 2006. I could stand to add 10 pounds as long as most of it is muscle and not fat. As for the fitness tests, my bench press is down 10 pounds from when I was 59, but up 17 pounds from last year. My pushups are higher than ever, but my running speed is taking a beating. I’m 30 seconds slower for the 3¼ mile run since I started keeping these records.
      This isn’t exact science, and it is not designed to replace an annual physical exam by a doctor, but it is a pretty good measure of overall fitness trends. I’m working just as hard to stay fit at 62 as I did when I was 30. For the record, I run for 30 minutes five days a week. I walk 45 minutes one day a week. I lift weights three days a week for about an hour, and I take Sunday off from anything physical. Still, I know that health is fragile, and I thank the Lord that he has kept me free of any major health problems as I enter my senior years.


      This is the 87th issue of “Fitness News & Views.” We started in January of 2003 and amazingly haven’t missed an issue since then. I figure I’ve written well over 500 articles over the years. In light of that fact and because I’m running out of ideas, I went back to the very first issue for the following article. By the way, this product which is now called Kangaroo Jump Boots is still around, but the price is now about $250 a pair.
      “Every time I think I’ve seen it all, the fitness industry comes up with something new. You may have heard of Jump Boots, but I hadn’t until recently.
      Jump Boots are specially designed boots with spring-like contraptions on them designed to help you – what else – jump. It’s another aerobic alternative. Naturally it started on the west coast – Venice, CA, to be exact, and they have been featured in a few magazine articles and television shows.
      It looks like fun. Special jump classes have started up out in California, or you can supposedly jog in them. Seems like they might be fun to play basketball in. Who knows with a little practice, I might be able to dunk with them – or slam my face into the backboard.
      I’m sure it will be some time before they reach us, and the novelty may fizzle long before that happens, but if you are interested, you can get more info and order the boots at www.jumpboots.com. By the way, they cost about $200 a pair.”


     If you are trying to lose weight, it is a good idea to choose foods that fill you up without a lot of calories. Here is a list of the Top 10 Best Foods to help you slim down. This list comes from Julie Meyer, RD, of www.everydayhealth.com.
1. Apples. Packed with fiber and nutrients. Loaded with water to fill you up. Easy to carry. Easy to eat. Lots of different varieties. What’s not to like?
2. Eggs. A great source of protein which keeps you feeling full longer.
3. Cauliflower. Not very exciting, I know, but you can eat as much as you want, and it’s full of nutrients, especially cancer fighting phytonutrients.
4. Non-fat yogurt. A recent study at the University of Tennessee found that dieters who ate 3 cups of yogurt a day lost twice as much weight as those who did not eat yogurt. It makes a great dessert.
5. Oatmeal. High fiber. Lots of protein. It’s the most filling breakfast food, so you end up eating less throughout the rest of the day.
6. Peanuts. Protein and fiber. Filling. Makes a great snack, but watch the calories. Individual one serving packs are helpful
7. Soup. Fills you up on very few calories because of the high water content.
8. Fish. Hard to believe but it’s rated as the Number 1 Most Filling Food. Also extremely good for you with healthy omega-3 fats and high protein.
9. Bulgur. A high fiber whole wheat grain that is easy to prepare. Use it instead of white rice and pasta in some dishes.
10. Salad. Throw in all the vegetables you want. Refrain from bacon bits or croutons. Careful with the dressing – olive oil and vinegar is best.



Graham Fitness
Tim Graham
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Website: www.grahamfitness.com
Email: tim@grahamfitness.com
Phone: 803-447-8557














Harbison Recreation Center
106 Hillpine Road
Columbia, SC 29212
Phone: 781-2281

The Harbison Rec Center offers more facilities for less money than anywhere else in town These are just some of the features: a new weight room with all new machines, free weights, treadmills, ellipticals, and stationary bikes; a 25 meter junior Olympic size indoor heated swimming pool; sauna; whirlpool; racquet ball and tennis courts; a basketball gym; and miles of traffic-free trails for walking or jogging. There are classes for seniors as well as summer camp and after school programs for kids. Also newly remodeled locker rooms and an all-purpose room for large gatherings. All for only $315 a year for singles or $600 a year for families.










Wolf's Fitness Center
5432 August Road
Lexington, SC 29072
Phone: 356-6400

Wolf's is a total fitness facility offering some great amenities. There's a huge recently expanded weight room featuring free weights and machines. There is a cardio area with treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, stair steppers, and the cardio theater. Other amenities include an indoor walking/running track, sauna, child care facilities with an attendant, tanning beds, showers, locker rooms, and sports supplements. Prices are very reasonable and there are no enrollment fees ever. Wolf's also offers a full slate of fitness classes including kickboxing and pilates, as well as all new spinning classes . Check out their website, www.wolfsfitness.com.