Geelong's Gym

Have you been feeling a little stressed lately?  Now that the silly season is well and truly over and it’s life back to normal… the same old pressures encroach again and as usual there’s not enough time to get everything done.

Upward Dog - just part of a great stress buster workout!

Instead of reaching for a big glass of red wine to help you relax, why not try a Yoga class?  Trust me, it’s the best stress buster around!  In fact, research shows yoga reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol and brings about a decidedly chilled state of mind.

Plus, it has some other great benefits:

• A gentle yoga workout several times a week can significantly reduce lower back pain.
• Yoga makes you happier – research has shown the feel-good brain chemical GABA increased by 27% after 60 minutes of Yoga.
• Interestingly, a study in America has found a strong association between Yoga and mindful eating, so if you’re having trouble sticking to the new diet, try doing Yoga regularly.

Why not come along and give a Yoga class a go… our timetable is packed full of stress buster workouts!

Have you ever thought about the effect exercising in the heat has on your body?

I love the heat… when everyone else is retreating to the indoors and air-conditioned buildings, I’m starting to come to life.  And the hotter the better… or so I thought.

Tuesday, a couple of weeks ago, the weather was forecast to be 39 degrees celcius, so I advised my personal training clients to train early to avoid the midday heat.  We take all the precautions we can to ensure no ill-effects from heat related illness.

But then I found myself with a bit of spare time in the middle of the day, so what do I do?  I decide to go for a walk for an hour or so… congratulating myself, because I’m being sensible only going for walk and not a run!

On goes the sunscreen, light weight clothing, sunglasses, hat and 2 litre camel back filled with cold water… and off I go.

If someone (or yourself) is suffering from heat illness, follow these steps.

After an hour, I’m enjoying the heat and feeling fantastic… until I take a big shuddering breath and wonder what that’s all about.  I take notice of my pounding heart and decide to turn on my heart rate monitor to see where I’m at.  Now I usually walk briskly on about 110-117 beats per minute…

160 beats per minute!!!

That’s full on running heart rate… my body is working hard to cope with the heat.  While in my head I felt fine, clearly I’m compromising my health.  Fortunately I’m only 15 minutes from home and I stick to the shaded areas, while constantly sipping water.  But when I get there and look in the mirror, my face is beetroot red – not my normal response to a walk at all!

While having a cool shower, I chastise myself… WHAT’S GOOD FOR MY CLIENTS IS GOOD FOR ME!

As we’re currently in the height of summer, here are a few tips from Sports Medicine Australia Victorian Branch to remember when considering exercising in the heat:

• Exercising in hot, humid conditions can lead to dehydration, heat illness and sometimes even heat stroke.
• Symptoms of heat illness – light-headedness, nausea, headache, confusion, not sweating, agressive or irrational behaviour – be alert for any of these signs!
• Stay hydrated – drink water before, during and after exercise.
• Take rests, preferably in the shade.
• Wear light coloured, lightweight and loose clothing that allows easy evaporation of sweat from the skin.
• Wear sunglasses, 30+ sunscreen and a hat.
• Reduce the duration and intensity of your warm up.
• Do NOT undertake strenuous activity if you have recently experienced a high temperature, infection, diarrhoea or vomiting.
• If you have a medical condition such as asthma, diabetes, a heart problem, epilepsy or obesity, are taking medication or are pregnant, you may experience difficulties exercising in the heat.
• If you are suffering from heat illness – lie down in a cool place, remove excess clothing, wet your skin or use ice packs and drink cool water.  If your symptoms don’t improve seek medical assistance.

Here’s a helpful temperature guide from SunSmart:

Temperature: 31-35; Risk of Heat Illness: High-very high

Uncomfortable for most people, modify activities.  Reduce intensity, take more breaks and limit duration to less than 60 minutes.  Be cautious when relative humidity reaches over 50%

Temperature: 36 and above; Risk of Heat Illness: Extreme

Very stressful for most people, modify, postpone or cancel activities.  Reschedule to a cooler part of the day or cooler location.  Be cautious when relative humidity reaches over 30%.

In general we’re a product of our environment… which begs the question, what habits and behaviours are you teaching your children?

A recent article in The Geelong Advertiser revealed the results of the largest survey of Australian secondary students in 25 years, commissioned by Cancer Council Australia and the National Heart Foundation… our teenagers are “chronic disease time bomb[s]“, with weight issues, lax exercise habits and poor diets the norm!

Switching pastries with fruit for a snack will make a huge difference to your child's long term health.

Out of 12,000 teenagers surveyed across almost 240 schools, 1 in 4 were either overweight or obese!

Even more concerning, only 14% of the students meet both the recommended daily intake of vegetables and fruit, and 85% (!!!!) did not engage in enough physical activity for it to have a health benefit!

“If ever there was a wake-up call for Australians, this is it.  As obese kids move into adulthood the heightened risk of chronic diseases like cancer means previous gains in life expectancy may be reversed.  We may see today’s teenagers die at a younger age than their parents’ generation for the first time in history,” says Professor Olver.

Other results of the survey:

• 47% of students reported having 3-4 televisions in their home, while 17% had 5 or more.
• 71% reported spending more than the recommended 2 hours watching TV or using other electronic media for recreation on an average school day; this rose to 83% on the weekend.
• 30% reported drinking 4 or more cups of soft drink, cordials and sports drinks a week.
• 43% ate from fast food or take away outlets at least once a week.
• 19.2% of boys were overweight and 5.4% obese; 17.1% of girls were overweight and 5.5% obese.

These are truly frightening findings and an indictment on our society.  As parents, perhaps we have become too lax in enforcing restrictions on unhealthy practices, allowing our children to eat what they choose, exercise only if they feel like it and spend their recreation time in front of a TV, computer or other electronic devices.

Our children are a product of their environment both inside and outside the home.  But as parents it is our responsibility to teach them the importance of healthy eating and regular exercise.  And the best way to do this is to lead by example… exercise with them and provide the whole family with healthy, nutritious meals.

Because one of the best ways you can show your child you love them, is by ensuring they have a long and healthy life!

Sometimes I look around and I see so many different products out there, all claiming to be the latest and greatest detox.

Detoxing can be good for you, but it doesn’t mean you have to give up eating for days on end or break the budget on fancy pills and potions.

Recently I stumbled across an interesting article in Men’s Fitness magazine, which looks at some of the claims those fancy detoxes make.  I thought I’d share a few things with you.

Believe me... it shouldn't be that hard!

Claim #1: It cleans chemicals and toxins from your breath and lungs.  Guess what?  Drinking lots of water and adding more fibre to your diet will do the same thing.  Your liver’s job is to naturally detoxify your body, so as long as you don’t load yourself up with a whole of rubbishy food and too much alcohol, it will do it’s thing without needing magic pills.

Claim #2: It removes dangerous toxins from your colon.  Our body is constantly detoxifying and for the most part, the colon stays pretty clean.  To keep it that way, make sure you eat plenty of fruit and wholegrains.

Claim #3: It cleans and strengthens your liver.  Providing you haven’t got cirrhosis, the best thing you can do for your liver is give it a whole lot of “stinky vegetables“, i.e. broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussel sprouts.  And if you want a little extra boost, add some whey protein powder.

Claim #4: You won’t feel hungry.  Funnily enough, it’s healthy to feel hungry.  In fact, if you’re not hungry 2-3 times a day, you’re eating too much.  Being afraid of getting hungry is what leads to weight gain; it’s much better to accept hunger is normal and eat until you are comfortably satisfied… not until you can’t fit anything more in!

We all know we’re supposed to eat healthy food for a strong, healthy body.  But did you know your healthy food can serve more than one purpose?  Not only is it good for your insides, but it can also be good for your outside!

Not only does it taste good, yoghurt can help prevent cold sores developing!

Check out what these functional foods can do for you:

• Vinegar or Lemon Juice - both of these items contain acids which can help flush out pores.  Dab them onto those annoying pimples and see how effective they are at clearing up your skin.
• Parsley – not only is it great for bad breath, but it also does an excellent job healing bruises.  Crush up a bunch and spread it over your bruise and watch as it decreases inflammation, reduces pain and makes your bruise fade much faster.
• Yoghurt – if you suffer from cold sores, throw some extra yoghurt in your shopping trolley.  It contains acidophilus bacteria which hinders the growth of the cold sore virus.
• Sliced Potato and Cucumber – both of these vegetables are fantastic for cooling the skin and reducing swelling if you’ve managed to get a good dose of sunburn.
• Papaya – this fruit has enzymes which digest dead tissue.  Take the sap from the skin of an unripe papaya and apply it to warts both morning and night.

We all know there are a whole lot of old wives’ tales out there covering just about everything, including water comsumption.  Here are just a couple:

• Drink more water and you’ll become much healthier
• Drink a glass of water before meals and you’ll eat less

A lovely glass of water can do wonders for your weight loss goal.

Well, guess what?  Sometimes the old wives actually know what they’re on about!

Dr Brenda Davy of Virginia Tech recently carried out the first randomised controlled 12 week trial studying the link between water consumption and weight loss.  After this trial, Dr Davy carried out a year long follow-up study and was able to come up with some fairly conclusive results…

• Prior to the trial, all participants consumed between 1800 and 2200 calories a day.
• During the trial, the women’s rations were reduced to 1200 calories and the men’s to 1500.
• The participants were divided into two groups – one group was told to drink half a litre of water before each of three daily meals; the other group was given no instructions on what to drink.
• After three months, the group that drank water before meals had lost about 7 kilos each, while those in the other group lost only 5 kilos.

Interestingly, the effects seem to be long lasting… in the subsequent 12 months the participants have been allowed to eat and drink what they like.  Those who had to drink water before meals stuck with the habit, because apparently they liked it.  They have continued to lose weight, while the others have actually put it back on!

So what have you got to lose, except your excess weight, of course!  It’s cheap, simple and, in contrast to so many other diet techniques, it actually seems to be enjoyable!

Information in this blog has been sourced from The Economist.

Maybe you don't need to go quite this far...

If you’re an employer, have you thought lately about the overall health of your employees and how it’s effecting their performance at work?

If you’re an employee, have you taken into account the state of your health when struggling to get through a day of work and meet your targets, dealines or goals?

You might think that as the owner of Geelong’s Gym all of my staff would be physically active… you’d be right, but they didn’t all come to me that way. 

Obviously all our Personal Trainers and Group Fitness Instructors are highly motivated people who have a passion for exercise, health and fitness.  But what about my Reception, Membership and Admin Teams?  Many of them, when they first started at Geelong’s Gym, included very little, if any, regular exercise in their day to day life.  But not anymore.

... or this...

If you work for me, I expect you to exercise regularly.  (And let’s face it, you don’t have much of an excuse when you work in a gym!!!)  Why?  Because I understand the value of exercise in creating and maintaining good health.  And I know if my team is healthy, fit and well they’re going to perform much better than someone who isn’t.

...but wouldn't you love all your employees to look this happy, engaged and energetic?

Recently, Right Management did a study called “Ready, get set… change“, where they surveyed 28,000 employees in 15 countries on the link between health and organisational performance.  Here are some of the things they found out:

• Organisations that promote employee health and wellbeing are 3.5 times more likely to encourage creativity and innovation.
• In companies where health and wellness was managed well, organisational performance increased more than 2.5 times compared with rival companies.
• When health and wellness were properly managed, the number of engaged employees increased nearly eight times.

(* Soure: MT Magazine)

So there you have it… overall health and wellness of employees is essential to high performance in the workplace.

In a previous post I talked about what a big issue Diabetes is in the world today.  Today, I want to follow on from that and talk about how you can manage and prevent diabetes (as well as many other health conditions).  And, drum roll please… EXERCISE is one of the best ways you can do it.

Manage your diabetes with regular walking.

Why?  Because, exercise improves the insulin sensitivity of your cells and, as a result, improves your blood glucose levels.  In a nut shell, everything runs much more smoothly when you exercise.

So here are some key exercise principles for managing and preventing diabetes:

• Make sure you move during the day – any opportunity you get to move should be grasped eagerly.
• Increase your lung fitness – how?  Get a little bit out of breath every day.
• Get rid of the glucose in your muscles and liver – combine interval training and resistance training to drain out the excess glucose.
• Build muscle – no, you don’t have to be The Incredible Hulk, but a little bit of muscle goes a long way.
• Stop before you get too sore – some soreness is good but don’t go overboard on your first go; try and build up gradually.
• Exercise regularly – short, daily bouts of exercise are much better for you than one long session a week.

Above all, remember what your purpose for exercising is… getting fit is far more important than getting thin, so don’t measure your success by how much weight you’ve lost!

Information in this blog has been sourced from “The Sugar Daddy“ by Dr Adam Fraser and Christine Armarego.

Physical inactivity is as hazardous to your health as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. This quote is by Lawrence Golding Ph.D. when he was Editor in Chief of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health and Fitness Journal.

Wouldn't it be good to have that kind of flexibility at that age?!

Yes, I know, that’s a pretty bold statement.  But here are his reasons for making it:

• Hip fractures are associated with more deaths, permanent disability and medical institutional care costs than all other osteoporotic fractures combined.
• Even small increases in bone mass gained from endurance or resistance training can help prevent or delay the process of osteoporosis.
• Physical activity, including muscle-strengthening (resistance) exercise, appears to be protective against falling and fractures amoung the elderly due to increased muscle strength and balance.
• One in two women and one in eight men over 50 will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime.
• An average of 24% of hip fractures in patients aged 50 and over die in the year following their fracture.

Exercise and increased physical activity are an intrinsic part of any comprehensive preventative or treatment regimen for osteoporosis.

And it’s never too late to start… research proves regular exercise, even initiated late in life, can help fight the effects of aging!  So get started NOW and don’t let your physical inactivity be hazardous to your health.

I’m sure everyone’s heard of diabetes and then probably dismissed it from their mind, thinking it’s not really a serious issue for them.

But, did you know, in 2006 1.4 million Australians had diabetes?  In fact, it has been rated as the fifth leading cause of death in the world.  Now that’s serious.  And, guess what?  Those figures are rising dramatically and, before you get too complacent, a recent study has found 1 in 4 Australians over 25 have some sort of glucose control problem.  1 in 4!!!!

So, what is the result of excess glucose?  It puts you at greater risk of:

• Heart attack, heart disease and stroke
• Amputation of limbs, particularly lower limbs
• Blindness
• Kidney disease
• High blood pressure
• Loss of nerve sensation and feeling in feet and hands
• Obesity
• Impotence
• Depression
• Decreased life expectancy of up to 15 years

Wow!  So what can you do about it?  In a way, it’s simple – it’s all about lifestyle changes.  Increasing physical activity and improving what you eat has shown massive improvements in insulin sensitivity and glucose control.

I know what you’re thinking – it’s expensive to join a gym.  However, an Italian study has found that simply walking every day has SAVED people with diabetes a whole swag of money:

• A person with diabetes who doesn’t change their lifestyle has to spend $828 a year in direct medical and social costs
• Walking 30 minutes a day reduces their costs by $386 a year
• Walking 45 minutes a day reduces their costs by $1452 a year
• Walking 1 hour a day reduces their costs by $2000!!!

There are a number of ways Type II Diabetes can be prevented and controlled and I’m going to look at a few of those ways in future blogs… so stay posted.

Information in this blog has been sourced from “Sugar Daddy“ by Dr Adam Fraser and Christine Armarego.