Geelong’s Gym

I’m sure most of us know that the key to losing weight is increasing our metabolism.  But did you know that muscle plays a huge role in raising metabolism?

Many people shy away from lifting weights when their goal is to lose weight, because they’re scared of the weight gain from increased muscle size.  But here’s the clincher…

Watch that weight just drop away

One little pound of muscle burns around 10-20 calories a day, while a pound of fat only burns 5 calories.  So growing your muscle tissue will help you burn fat all day long.

Plus there are a whole lot of other benefits of strength training:

• Increased resting metabolic rate which means you burn more calories, even while resting.
• You will become lean and slim, because muscle takes up less space than fat
• Strong bones and connective tissue, which will help protect your body from injury
• Enhanced balance and stability
• Increased confidence and self-esteem

But this only works if you lift enough weight to stimulate muscle growth.  Here’s a tip – if you can lift your chosen weight more than 16-20 times, it’s not heavy enough.

If you’re struggling to know how much weight you should be lifting, perhaps you should consider booking a session with a Personal Trainer.  Believe me, your muscles will feel the difference after a Personal Training session!

The good news is you don't have to start with the really heavy weights!

There are many reasons why people avoid lifting weights.  Here are just a few:

• It’s really tiring!  True, because most of us aren’t used to pushing ourselves to fatigue in anything we do.  That’s why you start slowly and gradually work your way up.
• I don’t want to injure myself!  Firstly, your muscles are meant to burn with the exertion of resistance.  However, it is important to take it slowly and increase your weights in increments, while still providing your muscles with some challenge.  Again, if you’re unsure, a Personal Trainer can help you get the perfect balance.
• I don’t want to look like the Incredible Hulk!  Needless to say, this is usually a concern reserved for women.  But here’s the good news – lifting heavy weights will NOT make you huge, because women simply don’t have the testosterone levels to build big muscles.  But the heavy weights WILL help you LOSE fat.

These are just a few reasons, but they often prevent people from making any progress towards their ideal body shape.  Heavy lifting will help you achieve that body and if you ease into a weight training program and slowly work your way to bigger weights you don’t need to worry about hurting yourself, or any of the other reasons which are holding you back.

Are you an older woman and have always thought Strength Training and Weight Lifting is only for strong young men?

While this used to be the way many people thought, studies have now shown that strength training is incredibly beneficial for both men and women, young and old, and particularly for older women.

In fact, older women who do an hour or two of strength training exercises every week can see significant improvements in their cognitive function, particularly in the areas of the brain responsible for planning and executing tasks.

A study, which appeared in the Archives of Internal Medicine, has been carried out assigning 155 women aged bewteen 65 and 75 either to strength training once or twice a week or to a comparison group doing balance and toning exercises.

One year on, those who did strength training had improved their performance on tests of executive function by 10.9% to 12.6%.

Those who did the balance and toning exercises actually experienced a slight deterioration of .05%.

The improvement of the first group included an enhanced ability to make decisions and resolve conflicts.

Don't worry Ladies! You won't be expected to hold up a building!

So if you’re an older woman and want your later years to be full of life, joy and activity, maybe it’s time you considered adding some regular strength training into your schedule and reaping the benefits of greater health, fitness and mental alertness.

And if you don’t know where to start, why not consider Personal Training to make sure you get the most benefit in a safe manner from your workout.  Just give us a call at Geelong’s Gym and we’ll set you up with a Personal Trainer who’ll suit your needs.

Lucky for my client, her strength training prevented things like this happening!

Resting heart rate, recovery heart rate, waist/hip measurements, weight/height ratios, VO2 Max – these are all measures of body function or lack of it.

 One of my older adult clients told me that she’d tested her fitness herself and was amazed at her improvements.

 She lives alone and had locked herself out of the house.  She sat on the front veranda and pondered her options (and swore under her breath)…wait for the neighbours to come home and help her into the house, ring her daughter who lives an hour away to bring her spare key with her… or get into the little open toilet window herself!!!

 So, off she went to the garage to get the ladder down off the hooks on the wall, carried it back to the rear window, balanced her way up said ladder to the window and then squeezed her way in.

 She said by coming to the gym, her strength had improved to such a level that she could confidently back herself to lift the ladder safely down off the wall.  Her leg strength and balance held her firm whilst she climbed, and she didn’t need a tape measure to confirm that she’s lost weight around her girth.  Squeezing through that window made every hard effort at the gym worthwhile!

What a great illustration of how improving your health and fitness can impact so many different areas of your life!

Could you be a member of STRONG?

 I had a fellow say to me just the other day that he wouldn’t fit into the Strong group, that he was not like the others in the group.

 It got me thinking… how do you look at a group of people and judge whether it’s for you or not?

The STRONG people range in education from leaving school at age 14 to lecturing in Archeology.  There are some with Year  8 and Year 10 as their highest formal qualification to Associate Diploma, Diploma and Degree Tertiary qualifications.

 The group comprises of single parents with young children, divorced with adult children, happily married and never married. There is one participant who has been widowed, divorced and now married and has a gathering of 8 children (some step) from these relationships.

 Some of the participants work full time, some part time, while others manage some work and full time parenting.  There are some who are retired, one who is a part-time leadership consultant, one who is a live-in carer and one who has a live-in carer.

 Their most amazing life successes range from giving birth, surviving a marriage breakdown with 3 children under 3, another for being a leader for 30 years.  One says that educating herself, when learning doesn’t come easily, is her greatest achievement. Another has discovered painting.

 So a group may look like everyone has a lot in common, when in fact it couldn’t be further from the truth.  But what they do have in common is the commitment to a timeslot where they meet and all do strength training together.  They belong to STRONG.

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!

I changed classes and time today.  I simply decided to go to the gym for a workout at a totally different time and participated in a different Instructor’s Spinning class. The Instructor, Karen Henry, was fabulous, but her class had predominantly hill climbing and some sprint sessions – quite different to the other sessions I attend regularly.  Wow, what a lactic session it was.

A shaky start

Lactic acid has a bad reputation. Many people blame it for fatigue, sore muscles, and cramps. They think of it as a waste product that should be avoided at all cost. Guess what? Scientists have discovered that lactic acid plays a critical role in generating energy during exercise. Far from being the bad boy of metabolism, lactic acid provides fuels for many tissues, helps use dietary carbohydrates, and serves as fuel for liver production of glucose and glycogen. In fact, lactic acid is nature’s way of helping you survive stressful situations.

But what is Lactic Acid?

Technically, lactic acid is a chemical compound produced from pyruvate, an organic acid in animals. Pyruvate becomes lactic acid during normal metabolism, but also through exercise. (Lactic acid also can be found in some sour milk products, such as yogurt, kefir, and some types of cottage cheese.)

When you exercise, your body burns sugar, fat or protein along with oxygen. This produces the energy needed to continue exercising. When you exercise so intensely your muscles can’t get enough oxygen, Continue reading ‘Wow, what a Lactic Session!’

Why don’t I use my equipment at home?  I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on free weights and a cross trainer.

Do you have some unused equipment sitting idly at your house?

Lots of participants in the STRONG study have this same dilemma. At some point, a little voice inside their head spoke to them and said… “You need to do something!”

So off to purchase some gym equipment they went.

And tried to do some exercises.

And pulled up very sore.

And questioned if it was the right sort of exercise?

And wondered what on earth they were doing?

And challenged whether it was a good thing?  The right thing?

Every participant echoes these words… “I’m so glad I have you to guide me.”

The STRONG study is about educating the participants on exercise.

It’s about building confidence.  It’s focused on progressively increasing weights and a range of exercises so that the workouts are manageable.

The STRONG study is about commitment to improving quality of life.

www.GeelongsGym.com.au

What happens when you miss a couple of workouts… and then another… and another?

Well, apart from the obvious downturn in strength and fitness gains, a peculiar mindset takes over.

At first you play the game of telling yourself it’s only one session you’ve missed, your reason is valid.  And it probably is.

But the next missed session might be full of lame excuses, and the next and before you know it the lazy person takes over, closely followed by frustration until finally you start thinking, “What’s the point?  I can never stick at exercise.”

Sound familiar?  Are you wondering how I knew that?  Guess what?  You’re not the only one! In fact, the majority of people get stuck in this same pattern.

And it’s no surprise that some of the participants in the STRONG study have found themselves right at this point.  But the beauty of this particular research project is that there is a personal trainer involved to call, advise, motivate and encourage.  If anyone misses two sessions in a row, or has a pattern of one, two, miss a few – the trainer is right there to help get and keep them on track.

And the general response?  “I’m so glad you rang – I was feeling so guilty! I’ll definitely be there next session!”

And guess what?  They are.

www.GeelongsGym.com.au

Have you ever had the “What If’s?”

You know…what if this happened?  What if that happened?

Have the “What If’s” ever stopped you from doing or starting something?

For the participants in the STRONG study, this was their biggest hurdle to getting started.

What if I’m the only one who can’t do the exercise?
What if my heart rate goes too high?
What if I hurt myself?
What if I’m the fattest person in the group?

All participants know that the study is backed by research and fact.
All participants know the trainers have been specifically trained to work with those with, or at risk of, Type II Diabetes.

Tackling the “What If’s” can be tricky but as one participant shared with me…
Imagine if we replaced the words “WHAT IF” with “IF” and “THEN”!

So instead of saying “WHAT IF this happens”, change it to “IF this happens, THEN I’ll deal with it”.

A great lesson in attitude for all of us.

www.GeelongsGym.com.au

Are you wondering what the Strong Program is?  Well, it’s an ongoing strength training study to assist people with, and at risk of, Type 2 Diabetes and Geelong’s Gym is proud to be a research centre for this life changing study.

How is it life changing, you may ask?  I’ll let our participants share that with you; here are some of the results that they are already experiencing:

Reduced Lower Back pain
Felt steadier and more in control when walking down stairs.
Greater cardiovascular endurance.
Stronger
Choosing to walk more in everyday activities
No more Cramps.  Nocturnal cramping (that required Quinine medication) has stopped completely.
Changes in body shape. Large arms now fit into standard size fit clothing.
Rolls of back fat are reducing significantly.
People comment that they are “looking well/looking healthy”.
More tired but so rewarding…a different tired.
Increased confidence to exercise by themselves.
Feel independent and in control.
Feel a sense of “HEALING” after a horrendous few years.

Now those are fantastic results.

www.GeelongsGym.com.au