Geelong’s Gym

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?

Did you know that training with friends can heighten your tolerance for pain, allowing you to potentially train longer and harder?

Why is this so?

Well, according to The Economist, when endorphins are released into our brain they make us feel good and more endorphins are released into our brain when we train with someone else.

Two friends training together have a chat in between sets

Dr Cohen from Oxford University conducted a test to prove this. She got 12 members of Oxford’s heavyweight rowing squad to row on machines in four 45 minute sessions over two weeks.

In two of the sessions they rowed in complete isolation. In the other two sessions they rowed in groups of six, perfectly synchronized. After each session their endorphin levels were tested.

Dr Cohen discovered that the rowers’ pain thresholds were significantly higher following group sessions.

So the next time you head off to the gym to do some exercise, how about taking a friend along with you. You might just find that you’ll have a more rewarding workout, that is more effective but also easier, and that you’ll get fitter and healthier faster than if you continue to train alone.

According to this new study, Rocky Balboa may have endured less pain and done even better if he’d trained with a friend!

To give it a go, quote BAF101 to Reception to bring a friend along for FREE to your next workout.

As a member of Geelong’s Gym, you know that consistency is the key to getting results. Dr Marc Dussault’s concept of the 1 Percent Improvement Doctrine is simple and straight-forward to understand and apply when you KNOW what to do. 1 Percent Improvement is NOT about doing something, but IMPROVING it 1 percent at a time. For example, if you are at work and you’re sitting down for 5 or 6 hours at your desk, a 1 Percent Improvement could be to…

Get up and stretch every hour – even if its’ only for 1 minute. It will revitalise your muscles and invigorate you to work better – BUT and there’s always a BUT… You actually have to do the stretching otherwise you THINK about 1 Percent Improvement, but unless you DO IT, you won’t get the result…

Not sure how to stretch? Guess what? We’ve made it easy for you to learn how to stretch safely without pulling any muscles with the Stretching Handbook.

Get your copy now and get started today by learning stretches you can do at work THIS WEEK.

I know this sounds simple because it is.

You know how hard it was to come to the the gym the first time… and the second and third time…

In fact I am sure you’ll agree it took about 3 weeks for you to really feel GOOD about it and then start to LOOK FORWARD to coming in…

That’s called creating a positive habit and even a positive addiction.

It all starts with 1 Percent…

I’d love to hear YOUR 1 PERCENT IMPROVEMENT HEALTH AND FITNESS IDEAS.

Post a comment to this blog post and I’ll share them with everyone!

Have you ever thought that Yoga was only for the free-loving, away with the fairies,

incense-burning hippies who wish they were still in the seventies, umming their way through life?

Are you dubious about the health and fitness benefits of Yoga?

I’d like to challenge you to try a Yoga class and I’m positive that you will have changed your mind by the end of it.

How can I be so sure?

Well, Yoga has benefits for both the mind and the body. In fact, the ancient Indian practice combines physical exercise with particular focus on breathing techniques, concentration, relaxation and meditation.

In the class you will move every part of your body, sometimes lying on your back or stomach, and at other times sitting or standing, torso twisting, back arching and inverting.

Not only does this give you a full body workout but you will be able to boast of greater elasticity, flexibility and strength. And that’s not all… many people say Yoga causes them to be calmer, with better posture and concentration levels.

Wow! Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it. How about putting your hesitations aside, and give a Yoga Fit class a try so you can experience the benefits for yourself.  We have a number of different classes at different times during the week – check out our timetable to see which time suits you best.

As a reader of this blog, I know you come to the gym on a regular basis, but even if you come in 2, 3 or even 4 times a week – you can actually REINFORCE your gym workout or class exercise regimen WHEN you are away from the gym. I know you’re going to think these are self-evident ideas and guess what? You’re absolutely right. That’s the beauty of what Dr Marc Dussault calls the 1 Percent Improvement Doctrine.

1 Percent Improvement Tip: Make the Most of Your Commute, TAKE THE STAIRS

This one is best illustrated with this photo because I know that if I suggest you take the stairs instead of the escalator, you’d think it sounds like a ridiculous suggestion – well does this hammer home the point?!?!?

Get Fit - Don't Use The Escalator!

That’s it for today, after all the concept is about 1 Percent Improvement… If you take ONE more flight of stairs than you otherwise would have – you’re on your way!