My name is Scott Winters and I’m the new kid on the block at Definition Fitness. I am a certified Personal Trainer through the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and also a certified Spinning Instructor (Mad Dog Athletics). I happy to report that I most recently received my Sports Nutrition Specialist accreditation through the ISSN. There are three important components to essential and balanced fitness: 1) strength training, 2) cardio training, and 3) nutrition. I consider my fitness credentials to encompass these three vital components and have worked with determination to reach this fitness “trifecta”.
A little about me: I was raised in the Midwest, but since 2000 I am definitely a transplanted Floridian. All of my immediate family resides in Florida also. Mostly recently, I was a Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor at The Fitness Center at Florida Hospital in Orlando, FL. There I worked with a wide array of clients age-wise, fitness abilities, special conditions, whom collectively provided me invaluable knowledge and experience. I also led 5 group fitness classes a week, bootcamps and leg sculpting classes, and I loved everyone minute of it. Prior to that I owned my own successful personal training studio just east of downtown Orlando, and conducted Spinning classes there also.
I am lucky to come from an athletic-minded family where tennis, baseball, cycling, track and field, were a big part of my upbringing. Ever since high school (quite a long time ago), I have been involved in some type of sport or athletic activity whether that be my daily workouts or Spinning sessions, participating in an occasional 5K or 10K run, cycling an organized 28 or 42 mile ride, a couple rounds of tennis, my annual ski trips, or just rollerblading along a rails-to-trails. This all has followed me through my lifetime; fitness, health, and nutrition have been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. I am grateful I am doing something I love as a profession, and I thankful that I am able to help my clients push their limits and reach their goals for a fitter life both mind and body. It’s SO much more than just lifting weights and running the treadmill, and I look forward to continuing to lead and inspire my clients here at Definition Fitness.
Introducing our “Workout in the Park” series… tune in to our YouTube channel where we will be showing 1 new video every 2 weeks so you can exercise while your kids play in any park or travel out of town on vacation. No excuses this summer!
Join us Monday morning at 9 am for a group workout in the park behind Definition. We will meet in the gym and then all head out together. All are welcome to attend and it is only $15!
If the big group workout doesn’t sound like your idea of a good time, then you can still schedule a regular workout with your trainer!
Please call ahead to sign up- 398-6442. Hope to see you there!
My nutrition journey started about 5 years ago. I was exhausted, apathetic and on the verge of depressed. People would look at me and tell me I looked tired or sad. And the worst part was that I was in pain. My stomach was constantly hurting. There was a throbbing, stabbing pain and I always felt bloated. I finally decided something was wrong with me and sought an answer. Numerous doctor appointments, ultrasounds, and even a colonoscopy later, no one could tell me why my stomach hurt. Then I realized not a single doctor had bothered to ask me what my diet was like. That’s when I decided to see a wellness coach. She was able to analyze my blood and urine tests, as well as my visual appearance. She urged me to take wheat and gluten out of my diet for 30 days. She had a strong suspicion that’s what was making my stomach hurt. Take wheat and gluten out? How would I do that? I was someone who thought pretzels and fat free chocolate pudding was eating healthy. So I started reading…a lot. After a very expensive trip to Native Sun to restock our pantries with food I could actually eat, I mentally prepared for what I thought was going to be the hardest challenge I would ever face. Not even a week had went by when my stomach started to feel better, the bloating went down, my energy levels increased, and I no longer had that sad, tired look. Keeping this up with out going crazy would be the hard part though. Salad every day? What else was there with out gluten in it- especially for lunch? It would take trial and lots of error before I felt like I had a good handle on this gluten-free thing- and do it affordably. Over the last 5 years I have tried the Zone Diet, the Paleo Diet, Advocare supplementation and cleanses, and juices cleanses. From these experiences I have compiled what I call my 10 commandments of eating (in no particular order of importance), and I try to follow this 95% of the time. This will be the first installment in my monthly nutrition tips and tricks. Keep in mind, this is what I have experienced and what I believe has worked for me- you may or may not agree, but I thought I’d share…
My 10 commandments of eating:
1. Eat breakfast everyday
2. Eat 4-6 hours after my last meal, or 2-3 hours after my last snack
3. Make sure there are always these 3 nutrients represented at each meal or snack:
A carbohydrate (in the form of veggies or fruit)
A lean protein (in the form of lean meat, Greek yogurt, eggs, etc)
A healthy fat (avocados, olives, nuts and seeds, or the fat in animal meat or oils)
**This combination will ensure the meal or snack’s glycemic load doesn’t impact your blood sugar levels too greatly, thus avoiding a spike then a crash.
4. No processed flours- that includes bread, pasta, crackers, cereal and cereal bars, EVEN if its gluten free. And that goes for cookies, cakes, and other desserts of course 😉
5. COLOR- your plate must have color. Green, orange, purple, red. Keep a food journal for 2 to 3 days. Look back over it and close your eyes to picture the food you ate. Is it a colorful memory or is it all brown and white?
6. No sugar. Unless it is coming from fruits (no more than 2-3 whole servings early in the day or for dessert) or dark chocolate…for my desperate fix 😉
7. I try to make sure there is 12 hours between my last meal of the night and my first meal of the day- allowing my digestive system to do its job and then rest.
8. When drinking alcohol, red wine or clear liquor. No sugary mixers- only water or soda water, unless its fresh squeezed juice with herbs
9. Take the time to measure your servings. Do this for about 1-2 weeks, and you will have committed to memory what 1 serving of coffee cream is or what 1 serving of deli turkey is. This step is incredibly important.
10. Eat organic vegetables and grass-raised animals whenever possible. Have you ever seen the picture of the farm worker wearing a HAZMAT suit to spray to spray the crops? If it’s not okay to touch his skin, why is it okay for us to consume it?
TOUGH MUDDER OATH
As a Tough Mudder, I pledge that:
I understand that tough mudder is not a race but a challenge.
I challenge all of you to strongly consider running with the Definition team. We will be hosting workouts to help get everyone ready so don’t think you will be doing this on your own. Even if you do not feel like you are ready to run with us I challenge you to try some of the workouts to see what the obstacles are like.
I put team work and camaraderie before my course time.
This challenge is not for time. Yes, as a competitive person myself this may be the hardest part of the oath but having done a TM before I understand this may be the truest part of the oath. Without your team there are some obstacles that you cannot complete, Berlin walls are hard to scale and you will have no one to carry for the wounded warrior carry. Also, running 10-12 miles alone isn’t exactly the most fun activity out there. The best part of this challenge may be the camaraderie you feel with the other runners – you realize very quickly you are all on the same team (and they are wondering what the heck they are running this for as well hehe).
I do not whine- kids whine.
Whining is one thing that will get you nowhere in life – and that holds true in the TM. It is hard, you will be exhausted, and seeing those electrical wires or ice water ahead makes you want to quit. Let me tell you though, you DO NOT want to waste energy whining! Go back to the first part of the oath
I help my fellow mudders complete the course.
Never leave your fellow mudders behind because you want to go faster than they are or because one of them got hurt. This not only goes for your personal teammates but everyone else running as well!
I overcome all fears.
It is not fun to run through fire, electrical wires, jump from a 2 story ledge into ice cold water, or scale 10-12 foot walls. Whatever your fear is trust me you will encounter and conquer it in this run and you will feel absolutely incredible after you do!
I am more than excited to start putting 100% into my training so come May 18th I will be ready to kick some Tough Mudder butt! Within the next 6 weeks I will be incorporating different types of training into my usual strength routine so that I have the strength to power through the 25 obstacles throughout the race. Also I will be upping my cardiovascular training so that the 10-12 miles will feel like nothing. After not putting my all into training for my last Tough Mudder I can assure you that I will not be caught off guard this year!
Ask your trainer about new workouts or come speak with me if you have any questions about the Tough Mudder! Let us know if you want to sign up and well get you on our team =) I hope you all get interested in challenging yourself!
My motto as far as food goes is – eat when you’re hungry and indulge a little! Let’s be serious, life is too short to count every single calorie that goes into your mouth (not to mention that is close to impossible); but as long as you eat when you’re hungry, until you’re satisfied, and give in sometimes – you should have no problem keeping on track with your diet. I keep a food journal and knowing that I am going to have to write down everything I have eaten makes me second-guess those french fries or bowl of ice cream (word of advice- it only works if you are honest about what you are eating). I always make sure I have snacks with me so that I can eat when I get hungry that way I avoid overeating when I do get around food. When I grocery shop I tend to start in the produce section so I fill up my cart with lots of fruits and veggies first, that way when I get closer to the oreos and ice cream I already have a cart full of good food and am less likely to buy those things. I also make sure to buy plenty of lean proteins like chicken, turkey, and fish. I do eat breads and pasta but try to keep the servings small. Organic food is not a thing of mine, I don’t think it’s any different nor do I want to spend the money on it.
To sum it up- eating healthy is not rocket science! Food is not the enemy; it doesn’t kill you to have a few French fries or a dessert as long as you don’t go crazy. If you happen to slip up at a meal and eat badly just make it up at the next meal. Happy eating!
When shopping for groceries I try to stay on the outside walls of the store…meaning I try to buy things that tend to spoil faster. Such as Veggies, Fruits, Meats, Eggs, Trail Mix and maybe a little Almond Milk when needed. By doing so I tend to stay away as much as possible from all the processed foods…but it does happen on occasion! If I do I try to hold out till the weekend or a designated day. It helps hold me accountable. Another thing I really try to stick with is portion size/control…I feel by watching my portions I can still enjoy some of the bad stuff every once in a while like potatoes and pastas. For the most part I’ve just cut out all pastas, starchy carbs, and definitely bread. Instead I opt for a lettuce wrap in place of bread for my burgers, lunch meat, or really anything sandwich like. When it comes to what I buy in terms of organic vs. non-organic, lets face it, in a perfect world I’d buy everything organic but lets face it, its darn expensive!! So I do my best and buy organic when I can but just buy good healthy things instead of the processed stuff. I also like to change it up and try different methods of eating/fasting to see what works best for me. A couple of my favorite ways are the Daniel Fast w/ a few added proteins and the paleo method. My motto if I have one would just be to eat healthy, watch how much I eat, and make sure I’m eating to sustain/maintain my activity level.
Ride your bike to Definition for some extra calorie burning and keep it safe outside
Chocolate “Lara bars” (or balls)
TOUGH MUDDER OATH