Enhance your quality of life

Hello, we are the Elevate Fitness Crew, a team of fitness professionals seeking to improve your quality of life. This site serves as a resource for you to elevate your health to the next level. Work hard, eat right and be an optimal you! Founded by Hassan Shabber and Mitchell Martin in 2013 “Join the Movement to Enhance Your Movement” var message="Copyright protected"; function clickIE4(){ if (event.button==2){ alert(message); return false; } } function clickNS4(e){ if (document.layers||document.getElementById&&!document.all){ if (e.which==2||e.which==3){ alert(message); return false; } } } if (document.layers){ document.captureEvents(Event.MOUSEDOWN); document.onmousedown=clickNS4; } else if (document.all&&!document.getElementById){ document.onmousedown=clickIE4; } document.oncontextmenu=new Function("alert(message);return false") Our Links Our Facebook Page Spring into fitness workout plan Spring into fitness meal plan

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Fight emotional eating

Sadness or depression hits, you may not even see it coming. We often confide to sugary foods or easy eats when in these times of distress. Foods such as sweets or breads, highly refined carbohydrates that provide empty calories. Studies show that though these foods provide instant relief in the moment, they often hurt you more later. These instant relievers will lead to imbalances in mood and lead to a worse psychological state. Researchers have found that certain foods have the opposite effect! Foods that reform your mood. Foods containing Omega 3 fatty acids improve hormone levels and help maintain your stasis. Foods such as Fish, nuts, chia seeds and certain vegetables contain omega threes that help fight against being blue. Keep that in mind as you progress through your day.

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Gus leading the pack. He's furry, but don't be fooled! #sfbootcamp #livefit #bestworkout #fleetinglunges

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Wall sits. Perfect for a sunny day. #bootcamplife #wallsits #sundayfunday

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Crew! Take flight! #bootcamplife #sundayfunday #inmotion

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a whole lotta legs in the air. #abcircuit #sixpack #fitnessinsf #marinagreen

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I let the ropes do the talking. @mikemartin8 #elevatefitnesscrew #jumpropecircuit

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A solid gang of humans and dogs put in work today. This is how Sunday's should be spent. Join the movement folks! #elevatefitnesscrew

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Heavy ropes & plank circuit. #downwarddogpushup #heavyropes #sofit #elevateseason2

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Hardy meal: white rice drizzled with braggs amino acids & nutritional yeast. Grilled boneless chicken drizzled with lemon. Grilled bell pepper, red onion & basil. Fresh avocado. #Badabingbadaboom #mmmgood #healthymeal #efcapproved

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Push up circuit. 15 jumping clap/ 15 single hand tap/ 15 wide grip/ 15 close grip. 3 sets. #getpumped #pushupcircuit #noequipment #chestandtricepday #shredded #lean #workoutonvacay #deltoids #sofit #fitlife @hassanthegreat

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NoEXCUSES workout.

Thanks Jason Williams for this one.

J. Dubs Workout/Warmup

30 Jumping Jacks

5 Push Ups

25 High Knees

7 Burpees

10 Crunches

7 Squats

5 Pushups

10 Crunches

5 Push Ups

7 Squats

30 Jumping Jacks

1 Minute Wall Sit

5 Push Ups

25 High Knees

Dedicaton.  Determination.  Drive.

NoExcuses kind of workout. No gym, no excuses!

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I got your back like Chiropract... or.

For those of us who spend a lot of time sitting in a chair, or have some sort of  back pain which may in fact be all of us, this post may be essential. This is a simple post that deals with a broad problem amongst people today, especially as modern technology creates new jobs and interests that promote sedentary behavior. I'm talking about bad backs folks!

Here's some scary news, research on the spine is still relatively idiopathic relative to how far Western medicine has come, meaning we don't know that much! So how can we maintain our back? By keeping it in its proper position! Our backs can change form if chronically altered from its set point.

One of the most common ways to injure your back is by lifting an object incorrectly. You might have heard this before, "lower your knees before lifting, don't lean and lift" This statement makes sense, because it's just a more logical way of lifting. Though the more technical way to look at this is that you want to bring your body closer to the object, this way your lumbar region is not being overly exerted. The image below simplifies what I mean.  

 Your lumbar area is vulnerable to bad mechanics. So be conscious of it when lifting!

You tech geeks who spend 40 hours a week on a computer! Sitting for long periods tend to effect the cervical region and can develop a kyphosis of your upper back!  Not only that, research shows that people who sit longer, live a shorter life. I know, sad!

How can you improve your back? Here's an idea, make a conscious decision to stretch your back more. Lengthen, and bring that spine back to its set point. The foam rollercan improve your posture by breaking the adhesion's in your back muscles, and slowly resetting certain spinal regions. 

If you don't have a foam roller, buy one! It's relatively inexpensive. Start experimenting folks, live longer! 

Enjoy.

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The point of diminishing returns

Look at the graph above, and apply it to any aspect of life, both  physically and mentally. Think about your love life; food intake; your recent crush; your work ethic etc. According to the graph there is a point where the amount of effort you put into any given circumstance is not producing the most efficient output.

Are you getting optimal efficiency for your effort?

Another question that may come up when looking at this graph is, when do you put a limit to a good thing? Again lets apply it to everyday life:  Exercise; taking your vitamins; giving homeless people money; working hard at your job; putting an extra effort towards your lover! The traditional good things, that seem to do no harm. Now ask yourself:

Do we need a limit?

The point of diminishing returns refers to the point when what is suppose to be beneficial for you starts to no longer benefit you, and rather it hurts you. To apply this to exercise, lets take the fictional scenario of Jimmy. Jimmy does bicep curls everyday for the sake of getting stronger, and as time progresses the intensity of his bicep curls progresses. A few months pass, and Jimmy starts to notice that he is feeling much stronger, progressing from 15lb dumbbells to 30lb dumbbells. And though his biceps have physically changed, he is now enduring shoulder pains from overexerting his shoulder during the curls. The shoulder pain hinders the ultimate goal to gain strength. And this is where my good ol’ pops and his wise words kick in. “There is a limit to everything.” Overuse injuries can occur from pushing too hard physically. Overuse of mental and emotional state and can potentially impact and/or reverse one's progress on goals.

Be conscious of the effort you put into any given situation, as it has its limit.

Optimal efficiency = moderate effort.

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The Whip.

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Feel the Beet

Let's get to know our roots and introduce ourselves to the beet.  If you're searching for a food that has positive health benefits you will find what you're looking for in the beet.  Beets are low-calorie, have essentially no fat, a small amount of protein, and are a natural instant energizer because they contain carbohydrates.  Beats can prepared and consumed in many different ways: boiled, baked, raw, steamed, juiced, etc. and you can use them to compliment almost any meal.  You can simply eat them as a healthy snack throughout the day too.

Beets have strong correlations to many health benefits including: lowering blood pressure buy causing vasodilation of the blood vessels, fighting cancer through the pigment that gives beet their deep red color (Betacyanin), fighting leukemia by means of  cleaning up our blood system, and helps the body rest by acting as a natural muscle relaxer.  *Note that this is not a complete list of positive benefits*

If you're trying to lose weight or get that 6-pack you've been wanting but have a hard time because you enjoy the buzz that alcohol gives you when you're out having a good time, then you're in luck.  Beets can give you a natural buzz by consuming about 8 or more ounces of raw beet juice.  Who ever would have thought that getting drunk would help prevent cancer? Now that's pretty amazing.

Now get of your butts and go buy some beets.  

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Improving the quality of your life. This equation involves more than just diet & exercise, but a strong motivated mind that is disciplined. Which brings us to the Bulls eye above. Behavior modification may be one of the toughest things to do, when you are stuck in your ways or worse of all, addicted. For that there is a plan, an internal plan to change. Above in the bulls eye are the key parts to behavior modification. It consists of 3 aspects of life, that influence one another. 

Behavior: This is your bad habit that you continuously perform from a day to day basis. Examples of this may be, eating fatty foods, smoking cigarettes or watching excessive television etc. The reason this falls on the outer most layer of the bulls eye, because it is the easiest to change. Though, continuous abuse of behavior influences your attitude towards that particular behavior and other aspects of life that are related.

Attitude: With consistent negative behavior such as watching television for long periods of time, cigarette smoking and eating fatty foods, it starts to influence your attitude where you justify your actions, and start to make this behavior a more permanent fixture in your lifestyle. For example, watching television for 3 hours a day, may cause you to be more sedentary each day, and less active. In which case you start to ignore more important aspects of your life.

Values: Once your consistent bad behavior has reach such a detrimental level, it is now embedded in your values, simply making it is so its part of every day life. This behavior discourages healthy cognitive function and the quality of life.

It all starts with changing one behavior that affects your health, once you eliminate this process from your life, more room can be made for healthier choices. Are you up for the challenge?

Author: Hassan Shabber

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Aloha, we are the Elevate Fitness Crew.  We are here for your benefit.  We want to enhance everyones lives by spreading our knowledge of fitness and nutrition to the world.  Currently we are working on and posting daily a fitness program with meal plans and advice on how to stay on track with your goals.  Share your thoughts, your knowledge, your goals, your difficulties, your success, your anything with us.  We are here to elevate your fitness and enhance your life.  Enjoy

Founded by Hassan Shabber and Mitchell Martin in 2013

"Join the Movement to Enhance Your Movement"