ViPR ... this is my latest toy ... and I love it. You will too!!
More later :)
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
... everyone says it's no good for you ....
So what? And who is everyone? And ask them WHY?
Why is coffee no good for you?
Why should you go as hard as you can on the treadmill?
Why are you doing what you are doing?
If you can't answer these questions, or the person giving you the advice can't answer them, then it may be time to reconsider your course of action.
I met with a client this morning who is trying to shed some extra kilos. She has all the support in the world from her family, but she told me they are all missing coffee and getting cross because she is feeling hungry all the time. When I asked her why she had given up coffee she said that she had been told she should because it dehydrates the body and is no good for you. (This was advice from friends).
Well, I say that most things, if they have a natural source, are good for you in moderation. And as a huge fan of a nice strong espresso or long black in the morning, I reckon I'd be pretty miserable if someone took my coffee away too. Coffee, made from freshly ground beans, espresso style, percolated or plunged has virtually no calories. It is a great stimulant for the body and the mind and in moderation - ie 1 cup a day - can have a very positive effect on metabolism and weight management. Coffee becomes detrimental when you add the flavours and the sugars or the artificial sweeteners that you can get added at some of the coffee chain suppliers, and when you have more than 1 cup a day. Anything in excess is not good for you.
As for the dehydrating effect of coffee, certainly it is a diuretic, which means your body will lose water from drinking coffee rather than gain, however you can simply have a glass of water when you have your coffee and you should be ok, provided your normal water intake is sufficient for your body's needs. Dehydration is more likely to result from insufficient water intake throughout the day. It is far more important to drink your 3 or so litres of water every day, especially here in the tropics, for good hydration, than to eliminate a single cup of coffee.
If you are trying to lose weight and improve your health and fitness here are some simple guidelines:
1. Eat natural products - fruit, veges, eggs, meat, fish, chicken, nuts, honey (sweet), avocado (fats)
2. Enjoy your food - find combinations of healthy foods that you like and enjoy so you look forward to meals and snacks
3. Eliminate processed and packaged foods, especially if you don't know what the ingredients are.
4. Learn to read the labels on your food and eliminate anything that has artificial sweeteners. These send a dangerous message to your brain that can cause you to crave sweets, as they send a message to the brain that can be 50 - 200 times stronger than it receives from sugar. This means next time you want something sweet it's going to take more to satisfy your cravings.
5. Hydrate regularly, aiming to consume at least 3 litres of filtered water daily. This helps the body eliminate toxins, and helps you absorb the micronutrients from the food you eat.
In other words, keep it simple. If you're not sure why you're doing something ask someone that knows, and if you receive unsolicited advice about your health and fitness, ask the person giving the advice "WHY?". Do your own research from sources that are reputable and knowledgeable.
Knowledge is power, and the right knowledge is a powerful tool when it comes to healthy living and eating.
Embrace a healthy lifestyle and enjoy your coffee!!!
Why is coffee no good for you?
Why should you go as hard as you can on the treadmill?
Why are you doing what you are doing?
If you can't answer these questions, or the person giving you the advice can't answer them, then it may be time to reconsider your course of action.
I met with a client this morning who is trying to shed some extra kilos. She has all the support in the world from her family, but she told me they are all missing coffee and getting cross because she is feeling hungry all the time. When I asked her why she had given up coffee she said that she had been told she should because it dehydrates the body and is no good for you. (This was advice from friends).
Well, I say that most things, if they have a natural source, are good for you in moderation. And as a huge fan of a nice strong espresso or long black in the morning, I reckon I'd be pretty miserable if someone took my coffee away too. Coffee, made from freshly ground beans, espresso style, percolated or plunged has virtually no calories. It is a great stimulant for the body and the mind and in moderation - ie 1 cup a day - can have a very positive effect on metabolism and weight management. Coffee becomes detrimental when you add the flavours and the sugars or the artificial sweeteners that you can get added at some of the coffee chain suppliers, and when you have more than 1 cup a day. Anything in excess is not good for you.
As for the dehydrating effect of coffee, certainly it is a diuretic, which means your body will lose water from drinking coffee rather than gain, however you can simply have a glass of water when you have your coffee and you should be ok, provided your normal water intake is sufficient for your body's needs. Dehydration is more likely to result from insufficient water intake throughout the day. It is far more important to drink your 3 or so litres of water every day, especially here in the tropics, for good hydration, than to eliminate a single cup of coffee.
If you are trying to lose weight and improve your health and fitness here are some simple guidelines:
1. Eat natural products - fruit, veges, eggs, meat, fish, chicken, nuts, honey (sweet), avocado (fats)
2. Enjoy your food - find combinations of healthy foods that you like and enjoy so you look forward to meals and snacks
3. Eliminate processed and packaged foods, especially if you don't know what the ingredients are.
4. Learn to read the labels on your food and eliminate anything that has artificial sweeteners. These send a dangerous message to your brain that can cause you to crave sweets, as they send a message to the brain that can be 50 - 200 times stronger than it receives from sugar. This means next time you want something sweet it's going to take more to satisfy your cravings.
5. Hydrate regularly, aiming to consume at least 3 litres of filtered water daily. This helps the body eliminate toxins, and helps you absorb the micronutrients from the food you eat.
In other words, keep it simple. If you're not sure why you're doing something ask someone that knows, and if you receive unsolicited advice about your health and fitness, ask the person giving the advice "WHY?". Do your own research from sources that are reputable and knowledgeable.
Knowledge is power, and the right knowledge is a powerful tool when it comes to healthy living and eating.
Embrace a healthy lifestyle and enjoy your coffee!!!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Passionate about the Pelvic Floor
To say that I am passionate about form and function in exercise is a masterpiece of understatement.
If one is exercising without correct form or without training a purposeful or functional movement in their body then I ask, what is the point?
One of the most neglected muscles in the female body and yet one of the most essential is the Pelvic Floor. This small sling of muscle that does so many things is sadly neglected in much that is done in the name of fitness.
As a mother of 2, might I say very large, naturally delivered children, I totally understand what happens when this muscle becomes stressed and loses its ability to function. Stress incontinence is probably one of the first signs in post natal women that something is wrong, and yet it is often overlooked or neglected. I hear women ask "Why does this happen" and then fail to ask "How do I fix it".
What is stress incontinence? Well, it's an ugly topic. It's when you can't hold your bladder when you cough or sneeze, or you find you do a little wee when you're jumping around in a high energy aerobic class. It's unpleasant, embarrassing and detrimental to your long term health.
Why does it happen? Because you're using your abdominal muscles incorrectly and your pelvic floor and deep stabilisers are not working the way they should. This can happen as a result of many things, and it can often happen following pregnancy, especially if you have failed to maintain pelvic floor training throughout.
A simple prescription to restrengthen the pelvic floor and help reduce your risk of long term health implications from a weakened pelvic floor muscle is to do 2 - 3 sets of 8 - 10 repetitions daily of near maximal pelvic floor contract and release exercises; so 1 set in the morning when you wake up and 1 set in the evening before bed will suffice. It will take you less than 10 minutes, but it will make a world of difference in the long run.
I DON'T mean crunches. Pelvic floor exercises, also called Kegel exercises, are small near maximal muscle contractions and releases of the pelvic floor muscle. If you're not sure how to do them and you suffer from stress incontinence or are pregnant then I urge you to find out. It takes some time and often the assistance of a skilled professional, either physiotherapist or fitness trainer, can be helpful to ensure you are using the right muscles.
Check your breathing. It is important to breathe out on the contraction, not in. And feedback tells me that for many women this goes against their natural instinct.
The practice needs to be regular so that what you do consciously becomes a subconscious action and you begin to train your pelvic floor without realising it. And the release needs to be slow and controlled too. Aim to extend your in breath and your out breath to a count of 5 and move the muscles in time with the breath.
My hubby tells me that he is a fan of this training too, for reasons that apparently only guys can understand, but girls, the news is all good!!
If I can share one piece of advice with you today it is to take action if you are pregnant or suffering from stress incontinence to strengthen your pelvic floor. Keeping that packet of "Poise" out of the supermarket trolley should be incentive enough!
If one is exercising without correct form or without training a purposeful or functional movement in their body then I ask, what is the point?
One of the most neglected muscles in the female body and yet one of the most essential is the Pelvic Floor. This small sling of muscle that does so many things is sadly neglected in much that is done in the name of fitness.
As a mother of 2, might I say very large, naturally delivered children, I totally understand what happens when this muscle becomes stressed and loses its ability to function. Stress incontinence is probably one of the first signs in post natal women that something is wrong, and yet it is often overlooked or neglected. I hear women ask "Why does this happen" and then fail to ask "How do I fix it".
What is stress incontinence? Well, it's an ugly topic. It's when you can't hold your bladder when you cough or sneeze, or you find you do a little wee when you're jumping around in a high energy aerobic class. It's unpleasant, embarrassing and detrimental to your long term health.
Why does it happen? Because you're using your abdominal muscles incorrectly and your pelvic floor and deep stabilisers are not working the way they should. This can happen as a result of many things, and it can often happen following pregnancy, especially if you have failed to maintain pelvic floor training throughout.
A simple prescription to restrengthen the pelvic floor and help reduce your risk of long term health implications from a weakened pelvic floor muscle is to do 2 - 3 sets of 8 - 10 repetitions daily of near maximal pelvic floor contract and release exercises; so 1 set in the morning when you wake up and 1 set in the evening before bed will suffice. It will take you less than 10 minutes, but it will make a world of difference in the long run.
I DON'T mean crunches. Pelvic floor exercises, also called Kegel exercises, are small near maximal muscle contractions and releases of the pelvic floor muscle. If you're not sure how to do them and you suffer from stress incontinence or are pregnant then I urge you to find out. It takes some time and often the assistance of a skilled professional, either physiotherapist or fitness trainer, can be helpful to ensure you are using the right muscles.
Check your breathing. It is important to breathe out on the contraction, not in. And feedback tells me that for many women this goes against their natural instinct.
The practice needs to be regular so that what you do consciously becomes a subconscious action and you begin to train your pelvic floor without realising it. And the release needs to be slow and controlled too. Aim to extend your in breath and your out breath to a count of 5 and move the muscles in time with the breath.
My hubby tells me that he is a fan of this training too, for reasons that apparently only guys can understand, but girls, the news is all good!!
If I can share one piece of advice with you today it is to take action if you are pregnant or suffering from stress incontinence to strengthen your pelvic floor. Keeping that packet of "Poise" out of the supermarket trolley should be incentive enough!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Youtube Rocks My World
Whilst human nature is to resist change, most of us will get bored with the same routine day in and day out. This is why people talk about falling into a rut, trying to get out of a rut, and generally just getting stuck in the rut. It is also a major reason people start a fitness program, get a result from their fitness program, stop that fitness program and then subsequently lose that result and become disenchanted with their fitness program.
As a fitness trainer, the risk of the rut is huge. Getting into a routine of setting 3 sets of 12 reps for the major muscle groups, a bit of cardio and a bit of stretching is so easy. Some group fitness programs even thrive on the idea of keeping it routine - throw in a bit of new music and the punters are happy with what is suggested to be a fresh new workout!!
Well I've found a guy who really knows how to mix it up and add some spice to gym time. Hurrah for Youtube! I urge you to check him out if you feel like you're struggling with your motivation.
Rodney Corn from PTA Global has a plethora of video clips on Youtube that offer fresh ways of looking at old concepts. A couple of my favourites are the full body workouts with dumbells, barbells and cables, which offer truly three dimensional workouts. Instead of locking into a fixed position and isolating or possibly even compounding a couple of muscle groups, Rodney uses movement in all three planes of motion - transverse, horizontal and sagital - to challenge strength and stability.
A real corker is his partner ab workout, using balloons to stimulate movement patterns and a new approach to group workout called Crawl Ball.
It adds an extra layer to the workout, which as a personal trainer working alone can be sometimes hard to find, and that is the top layer of fun. When something is fun we remember it, we talk about it, we want to share it. It makes us happy. And isn't that what it's all about. Finding great ways to move your body which create positive effects on the systems of the body - muscular, skeletal, cardiovascular, central nervous and endocrine systems - and at the same time are just pure and simple FUN!
Hurray for Rodney Corn -YOU ROCK MY WORLD!!
As a fitness trainer, the risk of the rut is huge. Getting into a routine of setting 3 sets of 12 reps for the major muscle groups, a bit of cardio and a bit of stretching is so easy. Some group fitness programs even thrive on the idea of keeping it routine - throw in a bit of new music and the punters are happy with what is suggested to be a fresh new workout!!
Well I've found a guy who really knows how to mix it up and add some spice to gym time. Hurrah for Youtube! I urge you to check him out if you feel like you're struggling with your motivation.
Rodney Corn from PTA Global has a plethora of video clips on Youtube that offer fresh ways of looking at old concepts. A couple of my favourites are the full body workouts with dumbells, barbells and cables, which offer truly three dimensional workouts. Instead of locking into a fixed position and isolating or possibly even compounding a couple of muscle groups, Rodney uses movement in all three planes of motion - transverse, horizontal and sagital - to challenge strength and stability.
A real corker is his partner ab workout, using balloons to stimulate movement patterns and a new approach to group workout called Crawl Ball.
It adds an extra layer to the workout, which as a personal trainer working alone can be sometimes hard to find, and that is the top layer of fun. When something is fun we remember it, we talk about it, we want to share it. It makes us happy. And isn't that what it's all about. Finding great ways to move your body which create positive effects on the systems of the body - muscular, skeletal, cardiovascular, central nervous and endocrine systems - and at the same time are just pure and simple FUN!
Hurray for Rodney Corn -YOU ROCK MY WORLD!!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Change your mind, change your body!
I know I've had a successful session with a client when they leave smiling and sore. And I have just had such as wonderful experience of this I want to share it with you.
My client J hasn't done a session with me in quite a while, so I was delighted when she stopped me in the gym last week and asked for some info on compound resistance training so she could add something new to her workout. I've done quite a bit of compound resistance training in the past with J so I was determined to find something new that would change her emotional state for the workout and give her the lift that she needed.
I was also lucky enough to be at Filex at the end of April where I met Ian O'Dwyer and the new fitness tool (phenomenon) the ViPR. So I decided it was time for J and the ViPR to meet. Talk about a match made in heaven. She smiled at first site and as I instructed her on how to move with it that smile just got broader and broader.
We explored only 3 exercises in our 30 minute session but it was enough to completely refocus her attentions to how her body was moving. Her intensity level rated about 8/10 and J is very fit; and her enjoyment 10/10. It's a great result.
When I asked J what she liked about the session she told me three things:
1. She could feel lots of different muscles working, in fact it felt like her whole body was working at once
2. She really enjoyed it - the focus required to work with the ViPR from an execution and intensity point of view means that you just can't think about anything else - awesome stress relief
3. It was FUN!!!!
This kind of response is every fitness trainers dream - strong workout, focus and fun.
So what happened? J is now armed with a small repertoire of movements to change the way she approaches her gym workouts, and a massively changed state of mind which will change the response of her body.
If you want to change your body be prepared to change your mind, and more importantly your state of mind first. It'll make you smile, it will make you strong, it will enable you to be your best everyday!
My client J hasn't done a session with me in quite a while, so I was delighted when she stopped me in the gym last week and asked for some info on compound resistance training so she could add something new to her workout. I've done quite a bit of compound resistance training in the past with J so I was determined to find something new that would change her emotional state for the workout and give her the lift that she needed.
I was also lucky enough to be at Filex at the end of April where I met Ian O'Dwyer and the new fitness tool (phenomenon) the ViPR. So I decided it was time for J and the ViPR to meet. Talk about a match made in heaven. She smiled at first site and as I instructed her on how to move with it that smile just got broader and broader.
We explored only 3 exercises in our 30 minute session but it was enough to completely refocus her attentions to how her body was moving. Her intensity level rated about 8/10 and J is very fit; and her enjoyment 10/10. It's a great result.
When I asked J what she liked about the session she told me three things:
1. She could feel lots of different muscles working, in fact it felt like her whole body was working at once
2. She really enjoyed it - the focus required to work with the ViPR from an execution and intensity point of view means that you just can't think about anything else - awesome stress relief
3. It was FUN!!!!
This kind of response is every fitness trainers dream - strong workout, focus and fun.
So what happened? J is now armed with a small repertoire of movements to change the way she approaches her gym workouts, and a massively changed state of mind which will change the response of her body.
If you want to change your body be prepared to change your mind, and more importantly your state of mind first. It'll make you smile, it will make you strong, it will enable you to be your best everyday!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Brekkie
Breakfast is without a doubt the most important meal of the day. I have decided that Wednesday morning breakfast should be my biggest challenge of the week and this week am heading off for a networking breakfast at Shangri La Hotel, which is to become part of my regular schedule.
As a guest to the breakfast last week I was challenged to find healthy choices that would set me up for the day ahead amongst the buffet fare that is provided by the hotel.
But it CAN be done.
When travelling for business this is no doubt a challenge that you will encounter often, and it's good to have a few basic ground rules to keep you on track.
1. Choose the food that looks as close to its natural packaging as possible. Freshly cut fruit, boiled or poached eggs, grilled tomato, cold cuts of lean turkey, or roast beef or lamb.
2. If cereal is what you're after then look for one that is likely to have a higher nutritional quality such as a museli containing a variety of nuts and grains. Stay away from generic type puffed rice and corn flakes - these won't sustain you for the morning and you may find yourself reaching for a high energy, high fat snack before morning tea.
3. Don't eat the fried stuff! For whatever reason hotels think that the more fat something has at breakfast the better. This is not true. Stay away from the fried eggs, fried bacon, sausages, hashbrowns, pancakes, waffles etc. These are not breakfast foods and they will load you up with unecessary calories with low nutritional value. I looked a clieint's food diary last week to discover that buffet supplied food for breakfast blew their calorie count out to almost 1,000 and that was just for breakfast!!!
4. Keep it simple and control your portion size. Your stomach is small, about the size of your clenched fist. What you eat for breakfast should be roughly the same size.
A little bit of sensible thinking early in the morning and you will set yourself up for a great day by choosing quality, nutritional foods that will fuel both your body and your brain.
I'm off to take on the challenge.
Hope you have a great day!
As a guest to the breakfast last week I was challenged to find healthy choices that would set me up for the day ahead amongst the buffet fare that is provided by the hotel.
But it CAN be done.
When travelling for business this is no doubt a challenge that you will encounter often, and it's good to have a few basic ground rules to keep you on track.
1. Choose the food that looks as close to its natural packaging as possible. Freshly cut fruit, boiled or poached eggs, grilled tomato, cold cuts of lean turkey, or roast beef or lamb.
2. If cereal is what you're after then look for one that is likely to have a higher nutritional quality such as a museli containing a variety of nuts and grains. Stay away from generic type puffed rice and corn flakes - these won't sustain you for the morning and you may find yourself reaching for a high energy, high fat snack before morning tea.
3. Don't eat the fried stuff! For whatever reason hotels think that the more fat something has at breakfast the better. This is not true. Stay away from the fried eggs, fried bacon, sausages, hashbrowns, pancakes, waffles etc. These are not breakfast foods and they will load you up with unecessary calories with low nutritional value. I looked a clieint's food diary last week to discover that buffet supplied food for breakfast blew their calorie count out to almost 1,000 and that was just for breakfast!!!
4. Keep it simple and control your portion size. Your stomach is small, about the size of your clenched fist. What you eat for breakfast should be roughly the same size.
A little bit of sensible thinking early in the morning and you will set yourself up for a great day by choosing quality, nutritional foods that will fuel both your body and your brain.
I'm off to take on the challenge.
Hope you have a great day!
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