Geelong’s Gym

ZUMBA FITNESS arrives at Geelong’s Gym in May!  Come join the Party! 

Come along and join in the Zumba Party at Geelong's Gym

This Latin-inspired, easy to follow, calorie burning class is a whole lot of fun, which is why it has taken the world by storm.  So come along and give it a go – you won’t be disappointed. 

It is launching on Wednesday, 12^th May and also introducing Zumba on Saturdays at 10.30am, starting 15^th May.  Zumba is exercise in disguise!

Don’t know what Zumba is?

The Zumba® program fuses hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves to create a one-of-a-kind fitness program that will blow you away.

Our goal is simple: We want you to want to work out, to love working out, to get hooked. Zumba® Fanatics achieve long-term benefits while experiencing an absolute blast in one exciting hour of calorie-burning, body-energizing, awe-inspiring movements meant to engage and captivate for life! 

The routines feature interval training sessions where fast and slow rhythms and resistance training are combined to tone and sculpt your body while burning fat. Add some Latin flavor and international zest into the mix and you’ve got a Zumba® class!

It’s such an exciting time when a woman finds out she’s pregnant.  Many women still want to exercise during their pregnancy but are reluctant to do so for fear of causing damage to their unborn child.

But here’s the good news.  You can still take care of your fitness while taking care of your baby, you just need to adapt to the changes of your body.

What exercise you can do while pregnant will depend largely on your fitness level, which trimester you’re in and, of course, how you’re feeling.  And the best thing about being pregnant at Geelong’s Gym, is if one cardio machine or strength exercise isn’t comfortable, there are always plenty more to try.

You may find it’s a little harder to get motivated, but rest assured the extra effort is well worth it.  Consistent exercise during pregnancy has some huge payoffs such as:

You can keep your fitness level up throughout your pregnancy

• Minimizing aches and constipation
• Help you sleep better
• Lower the risk of gestational diabetes and depression
• Can result in a shorter, less complicated labour
• 35% decrease in the need for pain relief during labour
• 50% less likely to be induced and require intervention in labour
• 75% decrease in the need for forcep deliveries and caesarean sections
• Help you get your body back more quickly after delivery!

One of the most important things to remember is to not let your heart rate get over 140.  This may eliminate some of your favourite classes, although if you’re careful it doesn’t have to.  Make sure you tell the Class Instructor you’re pregnant and they’ll tell you how to keep your intensity and range of motion at a suitable level.

However, there are also some classes which are fantastic for pregnant women:

• Pilates – Pilates helps maintain your abdominal muscle tone, which will support your growing belly, minimize back pain and give you more oomph for pushing during labour.
• Yoga – Yoga is fantastic for strengthening your core and improving your flexibility, pluys because of its gentle movements and emphasis on breathing and meditation, it helps foster a sense of calm.

And don’t forget to keep up your weights program.  Why not invest in a Personal Trainer during this time and allow them to guide you through the correct exercises, which will increase your fitness and keep your body in shape, while keeping your unborn baby safe.

It is my absolute privilege to bring you an offer from an extremely talented friend of mine, photographer Phil Nitchie, from Nitch Photography.

Phil takes all our photos at Geelong’s Gym and he has the unique gift of being able to capture the essence of the people he is photographing.  As a special treat, Phil is offering a free $95 Print to anyone who makes a booking or buys a voucher for Mothers’ Day.

Phil has a quote from his favourite photographer which explains how and why he does what he does:

“We do not take photos with our cameras but with our hearts and our minds” Arnold Newman.

So why not make this Mothers’ Day one to remember and organise Phil to capture some beautiful memories.  I completely endorse Phil and I know you won’t be disappointed.

They say that laughter is the best medicine, so in aid of that I’ve got a great post today from Dr Hu, who shares his views on a healthy, fit lifestyle…

Q.  Doctor, I’ve heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life.  Is this true?

A.  Your heart only good for so many beats, and that it… don’t waste on exercise.  Everything wear out eventually.  Speeding up heart not make you live longer; it like saying you extend life of car by driving faster.  Want to live longer?  Take nap.

Q.  Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

A.  You must grasp logistical efficiency.  What does cow eat?  Hay and corn.  And what are these?  Vegetables.  So steak is nothing more than efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system.  Need grain?  Eat chicken.  Beef also good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable).  And pork chop can give you 100% of recommended daily allowance of vegetable product.

Our esteemed Dr Hu

Q.  Should I reduce my alcohol intake?

A.  No, not at all.  Wine made from fruit.  Brandy is distilled wine, that mean they take water out of fruity bit so you get even more of goodness that way.  Beer also made of grain.  Bottom up!

Q.  How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?

A.. Well, if you have body and you have fat, your ratio one to one.  If you have two bodies, your ratio two to one, etc.

Q.  What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?

A.. Can’t think of single one, sorry.  My philosophy is: No pain…good!

Q.  Are fried foods bad for you?

A.  YOU NOT LISTENING!  Food are fried these days in vegetable oil.  In fact, they permeated by it.  How could getting more vegetable be bad for you?!?

Q.  Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?

A.  Definitely not!  When you exercise muscle, it get bigger.  You should only be doing sit-up if you want bigger stomach.

Q.  Is chocolate bad for me?

A.  Are you crazy?!?  HEL-LO-O!!  Cocoa bean!  Another vegetable!  It best feel-good food around!

Q.  Is swimming good for your figure?

A.  If swimming good for your figure, explain whale to me…

Q.  Is getting in shape important for my lifestyle?

A.  Hey!  ‘Round’ a shape!

Thank you to Dr Hu for his valuable input.  I’m sure we all have a much better understanding of food and diets now!

And don’t forget, life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive, well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, Chardonnay in one hand, chocolate in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming “Woo Hoo, what a ride!!”

But here’s my final word on nutrition and health…

1.  The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.

2.  The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.

3.  The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.

4.  The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.

5.  The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.

CONCLUSION:  Eat and Drink what you like.  Speaking English is apparently what kills you!

Adam Ryan, Manager of Geelong’s Gym and a Personal Trainer, is not just a pretty face.  He is, in fact, an elite sportsman who competes in a truly unique sport and is currently ranked as one of Australia’s top stair climbers.  So you can imagine what he brings out of his Personal Training clients.

Tyson and Adam bonding over boxing

When Tyson Matheson came to Adam he was reasonably fit, but he had a goal to get into the Army and he needed to increase his fitness significantly.  After training with Adam, he lost a lot of kilos, and now carries less than 6% body fat and is at an elite level of fitness.  Tyson and Adam developed a unique relationship while training together – they fed off each other and pushed each other to extreme levels of training.

And it paid off.  Tyson is now in the Australian Army and he has a new goal – he is hoping to get into the SAS, so he’ll be continuing to keep his fitness at an elite level.

And Adam, well… not satisfied with being one of Australia’s leading stair climbers, next year he is heading off to the peak of stair climbing events – the Empire State Building Stair Climb!

Paris, Georgia and Paula Kontelj from Bay FM with the massive 6 kg Easter Egg they bought in the fundraising auction!

Wow!  What a fantastic way to spend Good Friday morning!  Geelong’s Gym is usually closed on Good Friday, but this year we opened our doors for three hours in the morning to raise funds for The Geelong Hospital.

Two special classes were put on – Spin and Pump – with multiple Instructors to create a fun, celebratory atmosphere.  The Instructors generously donated their time to the cause and we asked all our members and their guests to simply bring along a gold coin (or more) donation for the Appeal.  And as a result, $900 was raised for The Geelong Hospital!  So a big thank you, to all the Instructors and members who supported the Appeal – we look forward to doing another one!

As well as a raffle to win a number of Easter Hampers donated by Cadbury, we also had an Auction to take home a massive 6 kilo Cadbury Egg!  The lucky highest bidder, at $210, was Paula Kontelj, Bay FM radio personality and Geelong’s Gym Group Class Coordinator, pictured here with the egg and her two daughters, Georgia and Paris.  We’re sure they all had a fantastic Easter and we look forward to seeing them back in the gym working off that huge egg!

We hope you all had a wonderful Easter and that you’ll come and join us next Good Friday.

Geelong’s Own Joe Tutone, who works here for us at Geelong’s Gym as a Group Fitness Instructor as well as helping out around the Gym when events are happening, is headed to Ginja in Uganda on Monday, 12^th April. 

Joe goes in conjunction with ISA (International Support Aid Charitable Trust), which primarily focusses on poverty stricken and orphaned children who need support and help to rebuild their lives.  Many of these children are suffering the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS and are too young to care for themselves.

He is going to help provide some much needed assistance at a medical centre connected to three orphanages in the area.  Joe will also be helping to finish off a recently constructed children’s home on a large acreage of land, which can be utilised for agricultural and animal husbandry income-generating projects.  Funds need to be raised to plough the land and prepare it for crop cultivation.

Getting active in Joe's 80s Disco Themed Fundraising Class at Geelong's Gym

To help support Joe, we’ve had fundraising within the Gym and raised over $3000, so Joe can take over medical supplies and provide assistance in the implementation of the medical side of things.

Some facts about Uganda:

Some crazy 80s Aerobics Outfits!

• 36% of the population live below the national poverty line
• 33% of those over the age of 15 are illiterate
• 23% of children under the age of 5 are under weight for their age
• 19% of the population are undernourished
• Average life expectancy is 51 years

All the best on your trip Joe.  We look forward to hearing about all the wonderful experiences you have and the inspiring people you will no doubt meet.

I believe there’s a great deal of power in understanding what you eat and today I’m going to encourage you to add herbs and spices into your meals, if you don’t already do so, because they have such incredible health benefits for your body.

In the interest of not creating a blog post as long as both my arms,  I’m just going to look at four items today:

Cumin – did you know this is the most popular spice all over the world?  It’s not hard to see why.  It is a good source of iron, promotes a healthy digestive system and, if made into tea, reportedly cures stomach disorders.  It is also said to enhance liver and kidney function, boost immunity and treat skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and dryness, relieve nausea and diarrhea, and many believe, when used as a tonic, it can prevent cancer.  Phew!  That’s a long list of fantastic health benefits from something so simple.  Oh and least I forget, for those trying to lose weight, it makes your metabolism more efficient!

Sage – sage is derived from a Latin word meaning “to save or to heal”, so that’s a pretty good start.  There is an old Arab proverb which says, “Why should a man die when sage grows in his garden.”  And the Romans used it to heal many ailments from snakebites to epilepsy!  Sage has been known to restore failing memories in elderly people and studies have shown that when combined with biloba and rosemary, sage is effective in slowing down Alzheimers.  It can cure sore throats, coughs, liver disorders and upset stomachs.  And, if you didn’t mind carrying it around in your bag, can be used as a breath freshener and tooth cleaner!

Add some herbs to your diet and you might have better luck!

Rosemary – a good source of minerals and iron, it is also a dietary fibre and when applied externally as an oil, rejuvenates the skin and strengthens the capillaries.  In fact, did you know that many cosmetics have rosemary as the primary component?  It has been used to treat headaches, digestion problems, regulation of the menstrual cycle and stimulates hair growth, prevents premature greying and boosts mental activity!  Once again, it can aid in preventing cancer, Alzheimers and bad breath!

Ginger – this wonderful plant contains approximately 1-4% of volatile oils which are responsible for its medicinal value.  It is extremely effective in curing gastrointestinal distress and hence is used in natural travel sickness pills.  It has an anti-vomiting action useful in reducing nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, reduces the pain of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis , relieves dizziness and stimulates circulation of the blood, cleansing the bowels and kidneys.

So why  not add some extra herbs and spices into your diet on a regular basis?  Your body will certainly thank you for it!

Here’s an observation of mine: if a person can eat their way to weight loss they’re going to take it.  So my post today is about the humble Acai Berry and whether it can indeed aid weight loss.

Until a few years ago most of us probably hadn’t heard of the Acai Berry, but since Oprah promoted it to the top of her list of superfoods it has suddenly become famous.

So what is the Acai Berry?

Pronounced ah-sigh-ee, it is a small, round, black/purple fruit about an inch in diameter and is grown in the Amazon region of Brazil.  Unsurprisingly, it makes up a large part of the diet in Brazil and is a huge cash crop for the area.

The humble Acai Berry

The Berry is believed to have tremendous health properties and has been used by the Amazonian tribes to cure various ailments.  These tribes discovered that it helped build the immune system, fight infection, protect the heart and control prostate enlargement.  It is also a cholesterol controller, an antioxidant and has been used to produce antibiotics to fight Staph infections.

That’s a pretty impressive resume for such a small berry!

But can it help me lose weight?

Well it can certainly help if combined with a proper diet and regular exercise.  It has a natural combination of antioxidants, essential fatty acids, amino acids and phytosterols which work together to help your body function better, process food more easily and burn fat more efficiently.  It also boosts your metabolism and reportedly suppresses your appetite because of its high fibre content.

Certainly this little berry has a lot going for it, so give it a go and see what you think.