Geelong’s Gym

Did you know that Yoga can not only help you manage stress but can also reduce or even eliminate the need for prescription medicine?

That last part probably sounds like a bold claim but I can assure you it’s not without foundation.  As you know, I like to find new pieces of information or perspective to broaden your thoughts on lots of different topics.  So, I’ve got a great video for you today which will substantiate my claim.

Angie Hilton, a Geelong’s Gym member and health and fitness enthusiast, asks Linda Newman, one of the Yoga Instructors here at Geelong’s Gym, to explain why she got into Yoga in the first place and the massive change that it made to her life.

This is truly inspirational and I’m sure will convince you of the benefits Yoga can have to your health, fitness and well-being.  But I’ll let Linda take over from here…

So why not come along to Geelong’s Gym and try one of our Yoga classes – you’ll love how it makes you feel afterwards!

Yoga has been around for thousands of years – no joke!  But suddenly it seems to have sprung up everywhere.

Why are people so attracted to Yoga?

Monique Gharios, one of the Yoga Instructors at Geelong’s Gym, shares how Yoga has become so popular and how it can totally revolutionize your mind, body and spirit – whether you’re a total beginner or have been practicing Yoga for years.  This girl epitomizes a relaxed, stress-free mind, body and spirit!  And it’s all because of the powerful effect of Yoga on her life.

Angie Hilton, a Geelong’s Gym member who loves all things to do with health and fitness, gets the low down from Monique…

Are you scared of entering a gym because you think its going to be full of super fit and toned athletes?

Believe me, I’ve heard many people tell me that’s the reason why they haven’t joined a gym.  But they couldn’t be more wrong.  At Geelong’s Gym we have all sorts of different body types and many different levels of fitness represented.

I’d like to share with you the story of one of our members, Greg Parker-Hill, who thought everyone would be looking at him because he was overweight and unfit.  But he wasn’t willing to let that assumption hold him back, so he took the plunge and joined Geelong’s Gym.

Greg was determined to lose weight.  He had tried every diet and weight loss program there was without long term success, so he decided to undergo Laparoscopic Band surgery.  The lap band would help to manage Greg’s appetite but he knew that to lose it he’d have to move it!

“It took a month of hiding on the treadmill in the back corner to realise that no-one was looking at me…that’s the difference with Geelong’s Gym, I feel comfortable there, it’s full of friendly faces.”

The team at Geelong’s Gym provided expertise and encouragement to progress Greg from the treadmill to classes and personal training sessions.  Greg lost 60kg in his first year!  That’s an incredible result when the average weight loss from a lap band is 27kgs!  When asked about his weight loss success, Greg says with a smile;

“It’s thanks to Geelong’s Gym, they’re good guys, I have a lot of time for them but don’t tell them I said that!”

Greg ran the Sydney City to Surf, exactly one year to the day after joining the gym – that’s how far he’s come!  Congratulations Greg!

Greg’s Personal Trainer, Adam Ryan, recently had a chat with Greg about his weight loss journey.  Here’s what he had to say…

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.

This blog post is just for fun – I am sure we could get our own version at the gym – both MEN and WOMEN. Sure would be fun – let me know if you’re keen and I’ll make it happen!

No, no, no I am not advocating we film our version with people in their underwear -that’s not the point! But we could have some fun with the concept!

If you think you have powerful legs, consider this test of EXPLOSIVE POWER… Every once in a while someone ‘thinks’ of doing something out of the ordinary to prove a point. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME KIDS and DON’T PRACTICE actually doing it on the edge of the pool – try to jump to get your feet out of the water in THE MIDDLE OF THE POOL first – if you can’t do that, you’ll never get to this level AND you’ll keep your front teeth!

If you find any interesting videos like this, please pass them along – we’re always looking for fresh content!