Geelong's Gym

I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.

There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead.

Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.

Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?

Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

In the 60s, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?

Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, “I think I’ll squeeze these dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?”

Who was the first person to say, “See that chicken there? I’m gonna eat the next thing that comes outta its butt.”

Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?

Why doesn’t glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

Thank you to Dr Marc Dussault for providing these insights, courtesy of one of his many blog readers who contribute interesting and intriguing content for his more than 10 blogs.

Lucky for my client, her strength training prevented things like this happening!

Resting heart rate, recovery heart rate, waist/hip measurements, weight/height ratios, VO2 Max – these are all measures of body function or lack of it.

 One of my older adult clients told me that she’d tested her fitness herself and was amazed at her improvements.

 She lives alone and had locked herself out of the house.  She sat on the front veranda and pondered her options (and swore under her breath)…wait for the neighbours to come home and help her into the house, ring her daughter who lives an hour away to bring her spare key with her… or get into the little open toilet window herself!!!

 So, off she went to the garage to get the ladder down off the hooks on the wall, carried it back to the rear window, balanced her way up said ladder to the window and then squeezed her way in.

 She said by coming to the gym, her strength had improved to such a level that she could confidently back herself to lift the ladder safely down off the wall.  Her leg strength and balance held her firm whilst she climbed, and she didn’t need a tape measure to confirm that she’s lost weight around her girth.  Squeezing through that window made every hard effort at the gym worthwhile!

What a great illustration of how improving your health and fitness can impact so many different areas of your life!

Could you be a member of STRONG?

 I had a fellow say to me just the other day that he wouldn’t fit into the Strong group, that he was not like the others in the group.

 It got me thinking… how do you look at a group of people and judge whether it’s for you or not?

The STRONG people range in education from leaving school at age 14 to lecturing in Archeology.  There are some with Year  8 and Year 10 as their highest formal qualification to Associate Diploma, Diploma and Degree Tertiary qualifications.

 The group comprises of single parents with young children, divorced with adult children, happily married and never married. There is one participant who has been widowed, divorced and now married and has a gathering of 8 children (some step) from these relationships.

 Some of the participants work full time, some part time, while others manage some work and full time parenting.  There are some who are retired, one who is a part-time leadership consultant, one who is a live-in carer and one who has a live-in carer.

 Their most amazing life successes range from giving birth, surviving a marriage breakdown with 3 children under 3, another for being a leader for 30 years.  One says that educating herself, when learning doesn’t come easily, is her greatest achievement. Another has discovered painting.

 So a group may look like everyone has a lot in common, when in fact it couldn’t be further from the truth.  But what they do have in common is the commitment to a timeslot where they meet and all do strength training together.  They belong to STRONG.

I told you previously that I’m participating in the Walking Home event, but maybe you’re wondering why I decided to get involved in the first place… 

I was asked by Gerard Spriet, owner of Geelong’s Gym where I work, to train a group of people to walk a huge distance over 5 days. What grabbed my attention was that it was from Warrnambool – where I used to live – to Geelong, where I now live.

I love being active and there is nothing better than a goal to strive for. Training for this event has changed my whole mindset around everyday activity - walking for a purpose as well as for health and fitness.

There’s also a lot to be said for the ‘feel good’ component of giving something back to the community – whether it is in freely sharing knowledge, giving of your time or any other resources you may have. I’m honoured to be the trainer of these fabulous people who have given so much of their free time already to train for when they give a week of their lives to walk for a wonderful cause. Count me in!