Geelong’s Gym

With 189km to ponder things whilst Walking Home, shadows was a topic of solo conversation in my head many times.

With the weather in the high 30s and full sunshine blazing down on the walkers, shadows were everywhere.

It occurred to me that shadows are often used in a negative way…hiding something, representing an issue that hasn’t been resolved, some deep dark secret lurking in the shadows!

Well here are some of my learnings:

• Shadows are great company and throw many dimensions to an otherwise flat picture.
• Shadows don’t weigh you down or slow you down.
• Shadows can give enormous relief from a seemingly in-escapable situation… in this case, the sun.

On day 3 of our walk from Camperdown to Colac, the air temperature was 35^oC.  The bitumen temperature was 60^o C.  Our feet were burning, our blisters were screaming, heat rash was appearing on many and heat stroke was starting to take its toll on a few.  The greatest relief was to walk closely to someone and find shade.

Some nasty blisters!

So here is my new saying in life:

Sometimes it’s really important to walk in someone else’s shadow.

This morning I woke up my young son, Germain, at the crack of dawn and we headed off to Winchelsea to cheer the Walking Home team on for their final day.

What a privilege to see how motivated and excited they still were after a physically and emotionally draining four days.  But they were all pumped for the cause they’re walking for and that attitude is contagious – and one of the main reasons why I chose to take Germain with me!

Check out the video below to find out a bit more of what it’s all about.

Well it’s not long now until we hit the road from Warrnambool to Geelong and this may be my last blog before we head out.  Hopefully I’ll be able to send through some updates whilst on the road.  For all those who’ve wanted to sponsor me, this is your chance.  I’ve reached my personal target but clearly I set it too low and didn’t realize the generosity of my friends.  Our group target is still a little way off.

 I bounced out of surgery exceptionally well last week.  Still no talking but attempting to whisper and only a bit of a sore tongue.  I’m also back eating normally and didn’t lose any weight so feel very ready.

Yes, that's right... those really are shoes in the fridge!

Well with all the training we’ve done, nothing has prepared us for the heat wave currently upon us.  I walked 20km yesterday and loved it…the warmer it gets, the more active I get…but I’m the only one in the group who feels this way.  It will truly test most of us, and for the first time, road burn on our feet is a real and likely possibility.  This is radiant heat from the bitumen.  I think we’ll all have to put a spare pair of shoes in the fridge in the food van.  Seriously!  Nothing like dry socks and cool shoes after a few kms.  I bought another 5 pairs of excellent socks yesterday (over $80 worth!) as I think I’ll be churning through them.

So thank you for all your support and I hope I step out well on your behalf.  If you still want to sponsor me in The Walking Home Challenge and lend your support, please click here.  This is a secure donation site, so all you need to do is search for me, Ann Cramp.

Annie xxx

Oh…nervous time…only 7 days to go and the reality of walking is kicking in. We have been involved in quite a few photo shoots for various media, so keep a look out for that.

I have a little hiccup in my preparation for this event as I headed into hospital Wednesday last week for surgery on my larynx (voice box). I have nodules that must come out for future health reasons but also to be able to speak clearly. Gone is the husky voice I hope, but won’t know what I sound like for maybe a month!!! Peace in our house!

What this means though, in terms of the Walking Home Challenge, is that my food intake over the next few days will be sorely diminished and that’s not ideal leading into an endurance event. I will most likely have a stiff neck and jaw pain so walking in the lead up may not even happen – wait and see.

The great news is that my walk of 43kms Saturday before last was effortless. It was 28 degrees which is getting close to nearly warm in my language. I didn’t crave easy carbohydrates (junk food) so my body is metabolizing fat storage well now. AND – No stiffness later that night or the next day. It was like I’d been resting all weekend. Couldn’t have been happier.

So off to Warrnambool in 7 days it is…with little white board in hand to write instructions and requests to the team and maybe even use it for a quick tap on the rump to get them moving!

Thanks for being on this journey with me. Step by step.

Annie

I’ve been training to participate in the Walking Home project for Homelessness – 189km walk from Warrnambool to Geelong. A group of us are walking this distance over 5 days, camping out at the regional towns along the way. I’ve had to give every spare minute to building these walking kms…conditioning shins, hips and feet. No extra running coming into Touch season this year – it’s just walk, walk, walk. I go to watch my husband play cricket and I walk around and around the oval, first one direction, then the other. I walked for 5 hours on Saturday and clocked up 30kms. I’ve also been able to keep the weights going and I’m getting strong.

Well the crunch time came – my reality check! My first run at Touch!

WOW!!!!! I could go and go and go when everyone else had stopped. I really felt like the Ever-ready Bunny off the battery commercial. My endurance base has grown phenomenally and I was able to bounce the short, sharp running off that.

I have never been in such good shape coming into a Touch season. Aerobically fit and muscle strong. Who would have thought that walking in between seasons could do that?

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!

BOO!!! Did we scare you?

It’s Halloween; the time to scare people, young and old.

We thought long and hard about what to scare you with, and guess what we came up with… nothing!  That’s right – nada, zilch, a big fat zero.

Why?  Because if you’re not looking after your health and fitness then you should be plenty scared enough without us adding to it.

Did you know that people can die from fear?  They can also die from health related issues resulting directly from obesity, stress and a sedentary lifestyle.  Now that’s something to be scared about.

So why not make this Halloween a happy one where you make some positive changes to your lifestyle.

How about giving us a call at Geelong’s Gym on 5221 1126 to find out how we can take the fear out of this Halloween and start you on your journey towards greater health, fitness and well being.

Geelong’s Gym – changing the face of men’s health!

How exactly are we doing that?

Starting on 1st November, the brave men around the gym will be starting off with a clean shaven face and that’s the only day all month a blade will be touching their moustache.  That’s right, the boys will be growing mos all month long.

So, if you want a good laugh, come on down to check out their progress and see who can grow the best mo of all in Movember.  In years gone by it has looked like Magnum P.I. has taken over the gym!

Why not grow a mo too and support the cause.  Or you can make a donation online, sponsor the Geelong’s Gym team and help change the face of men’s health.

Hi all…for those who don’t know…I’m walking from Warrnambool to Geelong over a five day period in November. It’s 187km so quite a hike to say the least. I’ve been in training, along with 17 others to make sure we’re leg ready.

The Walking Home walk is to raise awareness of homelessness in regional communities and to help bring the communities together. The walkers will be sleeping out each night in our swags, hosting civic activities at each town along the way. It’s going to be a huge week!

We also want to raise a few funds for the purchase of shoes for homeless people. Try going to an Op shop and finding shoes that fit properly!

If you want to find out more and make an on-line donation, simply click here.

You can also leave any donation at Geelong’s Gym.

Thanks everyone for your support,

Annie. xxxx

On Sunday 4th October, our very own Adam Ryan (Membership Coordinator, Class Instructor and Personal Trainer at Geelong’s Gym) competed in the Bankwest Tower Stair Climb in Perth.

Adam completed the climb in just 6 minutes and 23 seconds, breaking the record and winning the race. In fact, he had time up his sleeve since he accidentally took a wrong turn and had to back track!

Adam finishing the Sydney Tower Run-up in 2008

There’s something seriously wrong with this guy – for example, he moved to Canberra for a year just so he could climb mountains and condition his body for the brutal assault it would be receiving in future stair climbing events.

But Adam’s all about doing the out of the ordinary.  His body isn’t physiologically made to climb stairs but he believes in pushing boundaries and challenging himself to break the mould.  It’s taken a lot of determination, countless hours of training and buckets of sweat but it’s all worth it for Adam, who firmly advocates developing a new mindset to reach greater health and fitness goals in your life.

So what’s the next challenge? Adam plans to run up Eureka Tower in Melbourne so he can qualify for the pinnacle of stair climbing events, the run up the Empire State Building in New York. We’re all right behind you Adam, in thought if not in action!

Check out this You Tube video of a few contestants running up the Empire State Building – you gotta want it bad, this is one crazy sport!

To find out more about Stair Climbing as a sport simply click here.