**HOLD UP!** 





Before you read the blog post... Check out our latest feature/testimonial from our camper Andrew or "Tomlinson" as you've heard Curtis yell over the loud speaker. It's right there, to the right. 

See it?
READ IT!!------------------------------->

That was awesome huh?  Okay, you can read the rest now :)

Ever walk down the meat and deli departments of Whole Foods and Spouts and see "NITRATE FREE" written big like that all over the packaged meats? Lunch meat, hot dogs, bacon etc? Then have you heard the Rock Star trainers preaching "NO NITRATES" over and over when talking about nutrition? There's a good reason...

Nitrates and Nitrites are compounds found that have been linked to cancer in both lab animals and humans. There are many studies, some that show the link between certain cancers in adults, and some that don't. You'll see nitrates mostly on packages of cured meats. It helps to retard the growth of bacteria and preserve flavor and color. Shockingly though, unless you eat cured me with every single meal, every single day of the week, vegetables have the highest source of nitrates. Say WHAAA?? Vegetables??? Yes, don't fret though.

Nitrates and Nitrates occur naturally in foods and water and are produced by living cells. They're important for many different chemical reactions in the body and actually you could argue that nitrates and nitrites are essential to your health. However vital in natural form, they can react with other compounds in your body or other food to form cancer-causing substances. These reactions are most likely to occur in the presence of protein... Meat is obviously mostly protein. Still worried that your veggies have nitrates? Studies also show that these cancer-causing compound-forming reactions are most likely to occur less when accompanied with Vitamin C and other anti-oxidants...


With all that said, don't panic. There are ways to reduce your cancer risk and still eat healthy, nutritious, delicious food:

Buy nitrate/nitrate free hotdogs: If you can't do with out hot dogs, make sure to purchase them nitrate free. They will taste the same (maybe better!) but they wont be the same pink color.. if you think about it, bright pink meat is just weird anyway! Nitrates help out with the pink color, so without them, they'll be a tan or even brown. It'll take some time getting use to, but it's all for the better.

Reduce the amount of cured food you eat in general. That includes baloney, bacon, ham. Try sliced turkey or roast beef. Just don't eat cured meats every single day.

Give your bacon TLC and cook it slowly! cook your bacon on low heat and DON'T burn it. Cooking bacon (or any cured meat) quickly on high heat greatly increases the reaction of nitrates and produces TONS more nitrosamines (the bad stuff). Also, buy nitrate free bacon.

EAT YOUR VEGETABLES!!!  This is a cardinal rule for Rock Stars so I'm sure you already are eating a steady amount of veggies right? RIGHT?? Right. The more vegetables you eat, the more antioxidants and Vitamin C your body will have to inhibit the conversion of nitrates into harmful compounds.

For the parents or parents to be: Infants and children are at highest risk of exposure to nitrates. Of all the testing and studies done, this age group was affected the greatest with the most significant side effects. Ever heard of Blue Baby Syndrome? Make special effort to feed your children nitrate/nitrite free food and water. Especially when pregnant, avoid eating cured meats and other nitrate preserved food. Fetuses are THE most vulnerable to nitrate poisoning. If you live near a farm, make sure to have your water tested for nitrates as well.

You want to eat bacon? Do it, but the healthiest that you can, and enjoy it.
It's all about doing what you can to make yourself healthier and hold yourself accountable.

Who is participating in the Spartan Race, Tough Mudder, or any other obstacle race coming up? Cheers and more power to you, I'm envious and look forward to my turn!


Also remember that we're always looking for more stories like Andrew's so email them to me at erika.staten@gmail.com

**NOTE: This is formation is purely my finding and interpretations of the information I've read. I'm not a doctor and if any of the information is inaccurate or you disagree, I'd love to know about it so I can correct it.**

 By doing a simple Google search you'll find that the most popular New Year's resolutions revolve around a health related topic. Stop eating junk food, eat more veggies, start exercising or exercise more, lose x-pounds quit smoking, go hiking... you get the picture. How many of these resolutions are actually successful? Not many. That's why year after year the same promise is made, "THIS year, I'm really going to lose weight, THIS time I'll stick to my exercise program." Are you guilty of this? I am. A resolution is nothing more than a goal you want to reach. Most failed goals are those not planned out or given serious thought toward the execution on attaining such goal. So year after year, we pledge to do better starting January 1st.

Lets end the vicious cycle of failure and make this YOUR year. What is it that you want? It can be anything. Complete the Spartan Race, tighten and tone up your muscles, lose 5/20/50 lbs, move toward cleaner eating? Whatever it may be, there is a way to make it happen. Plan, prepare, set mini-goals. There will always be a bad day, you might slip up on your program, miss a day of exercise... eat a juicy cheeseburger. But that doesn't mean you get to give up. Many times we'll be so extreme in what we allow ourselves to have, and when we succumb to our human nature and make a mistake, our willingness to continue to work towards the goal goes right down the toilet (along with that delicious cheesy burger you just scarfed down too quickly).


What will make us all successful, no matter what we're trying to accomplish, is to accept that there will hiccups along the way. Pledge to do your best one day at a time, and you're almost guaranteed to succeed.

Resolutions are usually permanent... You're not going to quit smoking just to start back up the next year, most people don't plan to lose 5 pounds just to gain it back on purpose. So look at these changes as a positive new beginning to a new life. The new you. Each day think of how you can make your life better, healthier, and take a step in that direction.

Above are my own reflections and opinions based off of personal experience and some research of the interwebs. I'm no life coach though, so take what I say at your own risk! 

2012 is the year of NO EXCUSES. Rock Stars don't give up. Show up at boot camp and Curtis will help with the rest. YOU are the only one that can make your life better. What do you plan to do differently this year? What resolutions have you made that you've kept and are proud of? Any tips? Leave your comment below, don't be shy!

Each week we are going to feature a camper's testimonial here on the blog. We want to hear whatever it is you have to say, and the campers want to read it, so SHARE! It can be funny, sad, happy... full of success AND failures, tips that help you get fit, RECIPES!, we want it all. Email erika.staten@gmail.com to be featured. Our first submission and all future stories will be posted under the Featured Testimonial segment in the side bar here on the blog. Just look to the right of this screen and you'll see it. Please take a minute to read Jen's story, she was so kind to share it with us!

............*reading Jen's story*..............
    
Wasn't that refreshing? Look forward to weekly installments of the new Rock Star Blog! If you have any questions, comments, tip, ANYTHING, please leave it in the comments below or email erika.staten@gmail.com

CHEERS!