Geelong's Gym

In a team leaders’ meeting recently, we were talking about a new program we’re going to launch in 2012, called Soar Like An Eagle.  The idea behind it is that our members will have a place where they can share positive experiences they’ve had where one of our team has gone out of their way to make them feel special or help them out in some way.

Soar like an eagle...

This will cause our members to look for all the good things that happen in the Gym and will also encourage our team to continue going out of their way to create positive experiences and continue developing our culture of helping people.

Because I like my team leaders to lead by example, I asked them all to write some great things about all the members of the team they oversee.  I’ve been blown away by what they’ve written and I thought I’d share what Adam Ryan, the Centre Manager, wrote about each of his team (the team leaders)… and also about me!

Nathan: “Everybody’s Friend” – will go out of his way to help others, genuinely cares for everyone and is accountable for any mistake that me makes, learns very well from criticism, shows excessive interest in continuously learning and growing within the company.

Tom: “The Nice Guy” – never says a bad thing about anyone, very passionate about his work and cares about everything he does for the company and his clients, enthusiastic about his work and shows great interest in learning as much as he can.

Nick: “The Striving Businessman” – very committed and driven in his work, strives for results and a great revenue maker for the company, cares for the people around him and shows passion for his work.

Kirsten: “The Quiet Achiever” – the most valuable team member on the list, cares for everyone and knows more than anyone else in the company, excellent listener and would never say a bad word about anyone.

Annie: “The Lovable Entrepreneur” – a very loyal team member, extremely caring and would always help anyone in need, thinks about others before herself, amazing knowledge, queen of the projects and the place wouldn’t be the same without her.

Paula: “The Energetic Role Model” – extremely passionate about her position, would always help out where needed and has brought the Group Fitness team together in an amazing way, always striving to be the best and continuously improve the timetable and the team.

Terry: “The Systems Successor” – will help out in times of need, knows the systems inside out and genuinely cares for the company and its improvement.

Gerard: “The Generous Tycoon” – a great role model to his selected team members, passionate about helping people and will always go out of his way to help someone else before himself.

Pretty awesome words, huh?!  Well, I can’t let the opportunity slide by without also sharing a few words about Adam in reply!

Adam: “The Inspirational Leader” – a true humanitarian, caring about his team, his clients and the organisation in which he leads.  Always performing his job above and beyond the regular standard and no matter what the workload, Adam is always moving to take on more responsibility and handle additional loads when required.  Where would we be without him?  I’m grateful to have him on the bus and in the seat he’s in!

Quite often we don’t take the time to reflect on the positives of people or maybe we do, but we never actually tell them.  Is there someone who has done something great who you could share it with… maybe a work colleague, a family member or even a friend?  And if you feel uncomfortable vocalising it, just write them a note or send them a text.  I can guarantee it will make them feel fantastic!!

It’s the time of year where many of us are heading away on holiday.  Some of you who have put in a lot of hard yards in the Gym over the last few months are probably worrying that you’re going to undo all your good work in just a few short weeks.

Never fear… even though you’re out of your usual environment, there are still ways that you can get in some exercise without interfering with the holiday plans.

1.  Pack a resistance band – it may sound old school, but resistance bands are light weight and fit easily in your luggage.  Plus, you can do a whole range of exercises with them… low row, chest press, bicep curl, upright row and tricep extensions to name a few.  And they’re a whole lot more practical than trying to pack a set of dumbells!!

There are lots of these outdoor exercise areas in parks all around the world.

2.  Stop at a park with exercise equipment – these days many city parks have permanent exercise equipment, just ask the locals where you can find one.  Most of them will have signs with some exercises you can do on the particular equipment and you have the added bonus of exercising in the fresh air.  Plus, if you’ve got kids, they’ll have a great time on the play equipment while you sneak in a quick workout!

3.  Walk, walk, walk – what better way to sight-see than by pounding the pavement.  It beats public transport because you can stop anytime you like and you’ll see so much more.  Make sure you pack good walking shoes and where possible, walk up some stairs or a couple of hills… a great way to increase your heart rate and burn more kilojoules.  If you can, pack a pedometer… you’ll be surprised how many steps you take just by sightseeing!

4.  Book a hotel with a gym or pool – while the rest of the family is having a lazy holiday sleep in, you can get up a little earlier and get your exercise out of the way for the day… that way it won’t even impact on your holiday plans.  And if you’re lacking in motivation, some hotels even have Personal Trainers for hire!

It’s all about balance.  The whole point of a holiday is to relax and rest your mind and body, so don’t get stressed out trying to fit in your usual exercise routine.  Take up opportunities to exercise where you can, but make sure you enjoy your holiday, spend time with your friends and/or family and let yourself unwind!  The Gym will be waiting for you when you get back…

Information in this post was sourced from Reps Magazine from Fitness Australia.

“Tristan, don’t eat anymore of those… you’ll be hypo-glycemic within half an hour!” I said to my son the other day.

“What the heck does that mean?” he asked, as he shoved another lolly in his mouth.

So that, of course, got me thinking about what a great topic this is for the festive season, when we can’t help but be surrounded by lots of sweet goodies.

Uh Oh... all that sugar is making me sleepy!

The thing is, lollies and refined sugars = human intervention into how our body naturally works.  Eating lollies, sugars and manufactured products causes an overuse of our Pancreas in order to secrete insulin to help get our blood back in check.

Why does this happen?  Well, once our body consumes refined sugars we become hyper-glycemic, meaning our blood levels have more sugar than they require in order to meet the body’s needs and to function.  Our body is clever and detects  that we have too much sugar, so the Pancreas then secretes vast quantities of insulin to get our blood back into a normal range.

However, what happens the great majority of times is we then have more insulin than is required and within about 30-40 minutes (because of the excess insulin), we become hypo-glycemic, meaning we have lower sugar levels than we originally started with and feel fatigued and tired.  Generally that’s nothing to get stressed about, because that’s what the body is supposed to do.  But, for some people, this whole cycle happens very, very regularly because they eat a lot of junk food, lollies and refined sugars, therefore putting undue strain on the Pancreas, causing it to secrete more insulin than it should naturally need to.  And that’s when the onset of diabetes becomes a very real concern.

But it doesn’t stop there.  When the body is in a state of being hypo-glycemic (that point 30-40 minutes after), our body’s natural response is to produce your fright, flight, fight hormone… adrenaline!  That adrenaline drives you to go and eat something to take the symptoms away (i.e. something high in sugar) which is again going to get you in the same situation and cause your blood glucose level to go back up again!

So, what’s the solution?  Take a leaf out of your parents and grandparents’ book (and even further back down the family tree!) and eat the way they ate years ago – more whole foods and natural ingredients and less refined sugars.  They were definitely on to something, because back then there were far less cases of diabetes.

On a final note, it’s the festive season where we’re surrounded by a whole load of tempting treats and sweet delicacies.  Don’t stress yourself out about the consequences of indulging in these goodies… it’s Christmas and it’s okay to enjoy the festive fare.  But I hope that what you’ll take from this post, is that it’s all about balance.  If you eat well, with good healthy, natural foods for the majority of the time, then you’ll be able to enjoy the moments of indulgence guilt free!

‘Tis the season to be jolly… and indulge in good food and good drink, no doubt in greater quantities than usual.

It's time to indulge in a few Christmas goodies... just not too many!

Sometimes we get anxious about the Christmas period, worrying that we’re going to undo all the good work we’ve done in the months leading up to it.  But there’s no need to get worked up about it… you just need to know how to find the right balance between enjoying some yummy food and drink without going overboard.

Here are a few tips to help you get out the other side of the Christmas period without piling on the pounds:

• Add more dairy products into your daily diet – Research has shown that up to 800 mg per day of calcium increases fat loss.  Yes, that’s right.  Calcium has been shown to stimulate the breakdown of fat, inhibit the making of new fat and increase the loss of fat in faeces that might normally be absorbed.
• Start your day with low glycemic index foods - low GI foods will keep you fuller for longer, so you’ll be less likely to stuff yourself silly with Christmas goodies.
• Drink green tea – in between the glasses of champagne, drink green tea which increases fat burning.
• Drink a big glass of water before eating – it’s simple but true… water just before the big Christmas dinner will lower the amount of food you take in.

Remember, anything in moderation is fine and using little tricks like this will help you keep your intake of Christmas goodies at a moderate level.

Finally, don’t forget to keep up the regular workouts!  I know it’s a busy time of year, which is why we recommend you train with intensity rather than duration… which, by the way, has a greater impact on fat loss anyway.  And if you don’t know how to structure a quick workout that really counts, why not book in for a half hour Personal Training session and let one of our Personal Trainers give you a super effective workout!

Information in this post provided by Dr Peter Reaburn.

As I’ve mentioned previously, I believe it is essential to support local charities and community outreaches whenever possible and I try to encourage that kind of thinking in my Team.  However, even I was surprised (and very proud) when I found out one of my team members is supporting FIVE different charities this month!!

Take a few minutes out of your day to give blood and help save lives!

He doesn’t want to be named because he’s a humble guy, but here are the charities he’s supported in November:

• Walking Home – a 37 kilometre walk from Queenscliff to Geelong to raise awareness of homelessness in our region.
• Movember – he’s growing a moustache to raise funds for men’s health issues.
• Run Geelong – running to raise funds for the Geelong Hospital Children’s Ward.
• Prevention of Violence Against Women – he has bought and is wearing a white ribbon in support of this important charity.
• Giving blood at the blood bank – blood levels are currently low, so it’s a great time to roll up your sleeve and donate blood.  We’ve got a drive going at the Gym at the moment to get as many people as possible to donate blood in November.

What a fantastic selection of charities to support and an inspiration to us all to get involved when and where we can, because every person’s small effort makes a big difference!

I’ve noticed that sometimes people get a little one-eyed when it comes to exercise.  In their mind, exercising = weight loss.  Then, if they don’t start losing weight within the first week or so they get discouraged and give up.  The thing is, losing weight doesn’t happen overnight and it generally also requires other changes in lifestyle.

If you want to feel healthy, well and full of energy... start exercising!

However, even if you don’t see a reduction in your waist measurement after the first few days, there are so many other benefits to exercise.  Here are just a few:

• Working out regularly helps lower your systolic blood pressure just as much as many medications do, which is great news for your heart.
• Your overall risk of developing cancer is reduced just by walking or cycling for an hour a day.
• Worried about how your bones are going to hold up in old age?  A mere 10 minutes of high impact exercise three times a week can boost your bone strength.
• Maintaining an active lifestyle cuts the risk of cognitive decline by around a third and also helps prevent depression.
• Dropping around 5-7% of your body weight can delay, and potentially prevent, Type II Diabetes.
• Exercising for 20-60 minutes three to five times a week can help treat irritable bowel syndrome.

And those are just a few of the health benefits of regular exercise.  So don’t be discouraged and give up if you haven’t seen a dramatic change to your waistline yet… if you keep persevering that will happen and in the meantime you’re doing wonders for the overall health of your body… even if you can’t see it!

One of the foundations of my life is to help people in any way I can as best I can, which is why I’m involved in the health and fitness industry.  I’ve owned my business for many years now and I have always firmly believed it is the responsibility of all businesses to contribute to community events and put back into their local community as much as possible.  One of the community events my business is heavily involved with is Walking Home…

Despite the weather, there were smiles on everyone's faces at the Walking Home 2010 event

Walking Home is an event to raise awareness of homelessness in our region and is a 37km walk from Queenscliff to Geelong, which is taking place this Saturday, 12th November.  Not only is Geelong’s Gym a sponsor, but we’re also going to be at the event giving out free leg massages and bottles of water and Gatorade… and of course, encouraging the several hundred (possibly thousand) walkers involved in the event.

But it doesn’t stop there… 10 of my Geelong’s Gym Team are also doing the walk and personally getting involved in this worthy event.

So, I’d like to put it to anyone reading this who is in the Geelong region… get out there on the day and support the walkers.  A friendly face welcoming them into the various pit stops can make all the difference in the world when they’re tired.  Or better yet, join the walk yourself – it’s not too late to register and there are a number of different entry points, so you don’t need to feel daunted by taking on the whole walk.

And if you can’t make it on the day, why not make a donation or buy a T-Shirt from Reception.

I’ve mentioned before that I have an enormous extended family and today I’m delighted to be able to share some insights from one of my family members.  My cousin, Dr Lawrence Spriet, Professor and Chair of the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Guelph, was recently interviewed by The Ontarion about the proper use of sports drinks.  I thought I’d share some of the key points from the article…

Dr. Lawrence Spriet

Sports drinks can be found everywhere these days, from your local gym to your local 7-eleven or corner shop.  So are they just another every-man’s drink that we can drink whenever we like?

Dr Spriet points out that sports drinks were originally designed for elite athletes, so unless you’re training twice a day for hours at a time, they’re completely unnecessary for you.  Water is perfectly adequate.

So what makes a sports drink so special? Sports drinks are made up of water, sugars (carbohydrates) and a small amount of electrolytes.  These elements are vital for elite athletes who need to replace the copious amount of fluids they’ve lost through sweating.

As Dr Spriet explains, the water in your body contains 0.9% salt and your kidneys ensure this level remains constant.  However, when you sweat the body can’t reproduce the liquid and salt without consumption of an outside source.  If you’re an elite athlete it is critical these levels are corrected immediately and so the sports drink becomes essential.

Before you consume a sports drink consider whether your level of physical activity warrants it

Not to mention that the sugar contained in sports drinks helps fuel the brain.  As many sports require quick decision making, keeping the brain fueled is just as important as keeping the body hydrated.

So, there is definitely a time and place for the not so humble sports drink.  However, for the ordinary person who only exercises moderately… beware of the high sugar content contained in these drinks.  They may taste good, but unless you’re going to burn all that sugar off, it’s just going to convert to fat!

Adam Ryan, Geelong's Gym Manager and Stair Climbing Guru, conquered the Empire State Building Run Up in January 2011.

Yes, that’s right.  Our very own Geelong’s Gym Manager, Adam Ryan, has made the Channel 7 National News… we have a celebrity in the house people!  Well okay, maybe we’re getting a little carried away but we’re just that proud of him we want to shout it from the roof top!

So I guess you’re wondering what attracted the reporter’s attention… aside from his stunning good looks of course!

On Friday, Adam competed in the Westpac Stair Climb in Adelaide not once, but twice, winning both races.  To run 30 storeys and over 600 steps twice over is a huge test of fitness, strength and endurance, but a challenge which Adam loves to take on.  We know… he’s a little crazy in the head!

The news report about Adam is really quite funny and worth a watch – you can check it out here.  And a huge congratulations to Adam on his outstanding result.  Next up, the Eureka Stair Climb in Melbourne.