Denver Personal Training from Jason Stone

Benefits of a Cold Water Shower

Annual Polar Bear plunges are traditions all across the world.  In the US we associate cold water swimming with bikinis, shorts, or sometimes completely nude, sprinting into a partly frozen lake .  Although these swims are riduculous to some people, the origins of these ice swimming practices are recorded all the way back to history in Russia, China, India, and Scandinavian countries.  The cold shower is an ancient practice in India known as Ishnaan which is said to cleanse the inner organs and improve overall health.  Whatever the reasons there are many studies showing the healing effects on ones body with a daily cold shower or bath.  

Benefits of a Cold Shower

• Improved Circulation - cold water on the skin brings blood to the capillaries, increasing circulation throughout the body
• Increased Energy - cold water can help increase blood flow to the body helping to increase energy and mood
• Decreases Depression - improving circulation with cold water will boost your mood and relieve physical and mental stress
• Healther Skin and Hair - warm water washes away natural oils on the skin, cold water helps retain these natural oil, helping the hydration of the skin
• Increased Testosterone - cold showers help stimulate the production of testosterone, also improving sexual function and strength.  Studies also show cold water increase sperm production.
• Flushes Organs of Waste by products - cold water cleans the circulatory system and blood supply, providing flushing for the internal organs.  Muscle tissue also contract, helping to eliminate toxins and poisonous wastes.
• Improved Immunity - cold showers can increase your metabolic rate and immune system, it effects the immune system by strengthing your mucous membrane, helping to combat allergies, colds, and hay fever.
• Better Sleep - cold water helps to lower core body temperture and lowers the release of cortisol, helping with sleep and better fat loss, studies suggest taking a cold shower an hour before bedtime

 

Jason Stone Fitness

January Ironman Challenge

Happy New Year 2011!!  I am going to surprise you all with the challenge of completing an Ironman this year, actually better yet, this month.  Ok I am joking, I would like to challenge everyone to completing the actual distances and events of an Ironman. There is a catch; you have the entire month to complete it. You can break up the total anyway you would like but it has to be completed with exercise logs turned in by February 5th.  An Ironman consist of :

Swim 2.4 Miles  (154.4 laps in a 25 meter pool)

Bike 112 Miles  (can ride on a stationary bike or bike outside if weather permits)

Run 26.2 Miles   (can run on a treadmill or outside)

If you do not have access to a pool I will allow you to exchange the swim portion for 25,000 meters on an indoor rower, add 13 miles to the run total, or add 56 miles to the bike total.  I really would like to encourage everyone to try and swim the 2.4 miles.  For everyone the most challenging skill will be the swim.

There is an incentive for completing this challenge.  I am going to give away a few prizes with only one catch.  You have to provide me with detailed exercise logs.

Prizes will be:

1^st Place  $100 Gift Card to Lululemon or Sports Authority

2^nd Place $50 Gift Card to Whole Foods or Vitamin Cottage

3^rd Place  $25 Gift Card to Whole Foods or Vitamin Cottage

 

Results will be determined based on completion time and date, age, and fitness level. 

Good Luck Everyone and Happy New Year!

 

Jason Stone

Jasonstonefitness.com

 

 

Best 24 Hour Fitness Membership Prices

I always keep me ears open to the best deals on anything related to fitness.  I was surprised to find out the best deal for a 24 Hour Fitness All Club Membership was actually from Costco.  I pay $33.00 a month for my wife to have this membership which breaks down to $396 per year.  Costco sells the same exact membership for $299 for two years.  This ends up being $12.45 a month, a huge saving.  If you go into 24 Hour Fitness they will not honor this deal so you have to cancel your current membership and then purchase a new membership contract from Costco.  A pain in the ASS, but well worth the savings.

 

Jason Stone Fitness

 

Click the link below to find the Costco page online, even if you don't have a Costco membership you can purchase online for $315

Costco 24 Hour Fitness Membership

Randoms I wanted to share

Coming up on 10 years in the fitness industry I have tried everything.  For the first time I can say I have found the right balance of nutrition, training, and supplementation.  I wanted to share some of these ideas and items with you.  This combination might not work for everyone nor am I saying to go out and buy these brands or supplements because you need it, but this is what is working for me. 

 

• Taking Omega-3 Fish Oils  2x a day breakfast and dinner, (Nordic Naturals) have tried at least 10 brands, this one is great
• Glutenfreeda Wheat Free-Gluten Free Instant Oatmeal
• Eggs all the time, most complete protein you can have
• Two Moms in The Raw all natural bars, made from seeds and fruits
• Eating salads for lunch with nuts, berries, avocados, and greens
• Fish as much as possible for lunch
• No protein shakes (Everything is crap) and wasted calories
• No Soy, no one!! male or female
• Water, Water, Water, can't drink enough
• Jerky for snacks (Turkey, Beef, and Fish)
• Eating high protein dinner, trying to eat 4-5 hours before bedtime,  light salads, veggies, and lots of grilling during the summer
• Taking 500mg of Vitamin C, 2x-3x a day
• Greek Yogurt with fruit and nuts for late night snack
• 3 days of workout, 1 off, then 2 days of working out and a day off, gives me plenty of rest
• Running, rowing, and being more active with cardio
• 3-4 days of weights, 2 heavy low-rep, 2 lighter and high rep
• Stretching everyday, as many times as possible
• Melatonin 3mg a night,  helps me stay asleep, get cleared with a doctor first, it is a hormone
• Gardening my own herbs and veggies, as organic as it gets!!
• Less Facebook and social media 
• More Blog postings :)

Have a great start to summer everyone!

Jason Stone

You have got to read this!!! A woman in Parker, Colorado saves a McDonalds Happy Meal for a year

This is so gross!!

By Nonna Joann

Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to You.

Happy Birthday, Dear Happy Meal, Happy Birthday to You!

I know it’s hard to believe. Time flies, doesn’t it? My eyes tear when I think today, March 3, is my Happy Meal’s first birthday. They grow up so fast, don’t they?

I purchased a Happy Meal, not to eat, but to observe and blog about. Yes, I bought a Happy Meal and then placed it on my office shelf, right behind me and my computer. It sat on my shelf for a year as a silent witness to our fast food industry.

It smelled delicious for a few days. I’d get a whiff of those yummy French fries every time I walked into my office. After a week or so, you could hardly smell it. My husband worried that when the food began to decompose, there would be a terrible odor in our home. He also worried the food would attract ants and mice. He questioned my sanity.

No Worries
NOPE, no worries at all. My Happy Meal is one year old today and it looks pretty good. It NEVER smelled bad. The food did NOT decompose. It did NOT get moldy, at all.

This morning, I took it off my shelf to take a birthday photo. The first year is always a milestone. I gave it one of my world famous nonna hugs as we’ve been office mates for a year now! (Okay, maybe my sanity is in question.)

What’s WRONG with this picture?
The photo above on the left is the one I took today. Because Colorado has an arid climate, over the year the moisture has been slowly pulled from the Happy Meal. The bread is crusty and if you look closely, you will see a crack across the top. The hamburger has shrunk a bit and still resembles a hockey puck. Yet, the French fries look yummy enough to eat. I never had an odor problem, after a couple of weeks, I couldn’t even smell the fries.

Now look at the photo on the right, I took it a year ago. Not much difference. The bread is plumper and the fries a tad bit perkier.

What’s not HAPPY about a Happy Meal?
Picky eaters universally love junk foods. They won’t touch veggies and sometimes refuse to eat the food their moms prepare. Out of desperation, parents give in and purchase the food their picky eaters will eat…junk food.

The next time you’re tempted to purchase a Happy Meal for your child, think about these photos. Food is SUPPOSED to decompose, go bad and smell foul…eventually.  When I was a kid, I remember our garbage pail for the left over food scraps was kept by our back door. After a couple of days, flies deposited their larvae (maggots) in the meat. When I would lift the lid, I would see the recently hatched maggots wiggling on the putrid mess. A fly never bothered to land on the tiny hamburger patty on my office shelf.

Food is broken down into it’s essential nutrients in our bodies and turned into fuel. Our children grow strong bodies, when they eat real food. Flies ignore a Happy Meal and microbes don’t decompose it, then your child’s body can’t properly metabolize it either. Now you know why it’s called “junk food.”

I think ants, mice and flies are smarter than people, because they weren’t fooled. They never touched the Happy Meal. Children shouldn’t either.

Don't get lazy in the month of December

Training clients for me declines in the month of December about 50%, compared to the rest of the year.  I understand people are on vacation, have holiday parties to attend, and last minute shopping to take care of.  What I find interesting is most people actually have more time to workout, they are just too lazy.  The weather stinks so people tend to stay indoors most of the time.  When you sit around the house you get bored, so you eat.  These lazy vacation days add up to extra pounds before the New Year even starts.  So instead of staying home get to your gym and keep the pounds off, if not the entire month of January will be burning off the fat you gained in December.  

See you at the gym!!

Jason Stone

Thanksgiving Bootcamp for Denver Volunteers of America Brandon Center, Max Fashion Show Charity

On Thanksgiving morning I will be doing 2 free morning boot-camps for anyone interested.  The class will be a combination inside/outside boot-camp depending on the weather.  All proceeds will go to Volunteers of America, and more specifically the Brandon Center, a safe place for abused woman.  

If you are interested in either the 9:00AM or 10:00AM Charity Boot-camp class please RSVP with me at jasonrstone@comcast.net ,  I am limiting each class to 15 people each time slot.  If interested in attending the show I have also attached a link so everyone can buy tickets.  

Volunteers of America Colorado

It is a great event!!

Jason Stone

midchix website

My client's mom just launched a cool new website I want to help support.  Check it out.

About MidChix

MidChix.com is a unique social networking boutique for women 40 and over.  Founded in 2008 by Denver mom Gretchen Seefried, MidChix is a place for women to stay connected in current friendships, rekindle old ones, and initiate new.  It is also a site where you can find great information on myriad topics, as well as search for and share reviews and recommendations.   MidChix is the online place where women go to let their friends know what’s happening in their lives, find support, laughter, information, and recommendations -- the same way they turn to their girlfriends in their “offline” lives.  MidChix.com is an online nest developed for women in their prime, by women in their prime.  

New Gym in the Golden Triangle area

Here are a few pics of the new gym in the Golden Triangle area of Denver.  The exact location is 1010 Bannock Street.  The new gym is twice as big and a perfect new space.  Come by and check it out sometime. 

Jason Stone Fitness

Time for Change

On Saturday I took my wife Heidi through our first workout together in almost 6 months.  I know I have been slacking, she was long overdue for a workout with me.  I was shocked how strong my wife is.  What surprised me even more was the fact she was cutting her strength short by 25%.  For some reason the last time I trained her she left with the impression every set had to include 20 reps.  For example, she easily can do 15 lbs curls for 20, one arm rows with 25 lbs for 20.  What she didn't know is she could do 22.5 lbs curls for 12 and 40lb rows for 12 reps.  That is an increase of over 30% from what she was normally doing.  This little decrease in the amount of reps and the increase in weight will make dramatic differences to her physique.  So for everyone looking for a little change up in their routine decrease your reps and increase the weights with your exercises, your body will appreciate the new challenge.

Jason Stone Fitness