Shaping up

Lorri Ann Code has been in the fitness industry since she began teaching aerobics in the 1980s, or as she describes it, “Back when we didn’t know anything, and everyone was hurting their knees.” She’s learned a tremendous amount since then.

In 2007, she started a 12-week exercise program for women called Mama Bootcamp at a park in Roseville. Three years later, she has 24 boot camps throughout the Sacramento area, run by a staff of eight coaches.

She’s added USA Triathlon coaching to her résumé, while her husband recently quit his job to start Man Camp—the male equivalent of her original exercise, nutrition and lifestyle program.

Code has hundreds of boot-camp graduates in the Sacramento region, and she endeavors to stay connected to all of them. “Once I’m your coach, I’m always your coach,” she says. Read on for her advice on getting in shape for the game of life.

What’s your fitness philosophy?

Fitness means to me living my best life, being really happy moving. I don’t know anyone who’s sick and tired who is happy. If you feel good in your body, you can make great changes from there. If you don’t feel good in your body, it’s easy to stay stuck.

There’s an SN&R reader sitting on the couch feeling sick and tired right now. What should he or she do to start feeling better?

The first thing I would have them do is drink a big glass of water. This is really important. Most bodies need 80 to 100 ounces a day, 40 ounces by noon. What I’d like to tell that reader is to drink water, because the first sign of dehydration is fatigue. The second sign is headaches. So I want them to feel good, so they can start getting moving.

I’d like them to get off the couch and move. Walking doesn’t cost a lot of money, and if they can get off the couch and walk, studies show that 20 minutes a day makes big changes for people. Walking is underrated, so have a big glass of water and go for a walk.

What about diet?

Diets do not work. It has to be simple. People are already overwhelmed. They are not going to eat right if it’s not simple.

At boot camp, we do a really cool thing called a “grab-and-go.” You take a quart-sized baggie and put a wide variety of colors of raw vegetables in your baggie. Think of a rainbow. Every color of vegetable holds a different nutrient. You don’t want all green in your bag. This week I did broccoli, cauliflower and cherry tomatoes. Put five bags in your refrigerator on Sunday by 5 p.m., let’s say, and then you’re good for the week.

In your pantry, for dry goods, put 20 Wheat Thins or 20 almonds in a baggie. String cheese, apples, bananas, oranges and tangerines take no preparation. Those are all grab-and-gos. You need to have them with you during the day so you don’t end up going through the drive-through.

What is the best way to make a new behavior stick?

Work on one thing a week. Maybe this week work on your grab-and-gos. The next week, work on drinking your water. The following week, work on getting off fast-food.

What are the most common sabotaging behaviors?

Not eating breakfast. If you skip breakfast and have a light lunch because you’re on a diet, by the time you get home at 6 p.m., you want to eat the wallpaper off the walls. Then you binge and get up the next day and do it all over. If you wait six to eight hours to eat, your body uses lean muscle for energy and it stores fat. Lean muscle is your calorie-burning engine.

So eating breakfast is turning on your calorie-burning engine for the day. Eat breakfast. Drink a big glass of water. Treat your body well, so you can feel good all-day long.

How do you stay motivated if you backslide?

We’re not perfect. When you fall down on a Friday afternoon, you don’t go, “I’m going to start over again on Monday.” You’re going to start over again on Friday night. You fell down for lunch. Big deal, it’s just one lunch. That’s OK. Get back on track and move during the weekend. Then we don’t have three days of bad eating, we have one lunch.

We’re so hard on ourselves. You need to be your own best friend. You need to ask for help. I like to remind people that in fitness, it all starts with baby steps. All those daily choices add up to a week’s worth of choices, which adds up to 52 weeks of choices, which is one full year, which adds up to where you’re going to be in five years. It’s so cool when you realize that. It makes me get teary-eyed.

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Try it now
Fitness coach Lorri Ann Code’s simple changes for a healthier body

Drink water.

Proper hydration prevents fatigue and headaches. Most people need 80 to 100 ounces a day. Aim for 40 ounces before noon.

Pack grab-and-gos.

Every Sunday, assemble your take-along snacks for the week. Fill five quart-sized baggies with raw vegetables in a variety of colors. Pack nuts, string cheese, crackers and fruit to take with you every day. Eat small meals every two to four hours. Avoid fast-food.

Get moving.

Even a daily 20-minute walk can make a big difference.

Get educated.

Websites like SparkPeople and CalorieKing can help with food plans and activity motivation. The blog at www.mamabootcamp.com offers free fitness tips and exercise videos.

Find a buddy.

Make exercise dates for the gym, sports or walking with a friend. Put these dates on your calendar and hold each other accountable.