Geelong’s Gym

Ann Cramp and Paula Kontelj on the night

One of the things we love best at Geelong’s Gym, is to support our various sporting activities in our community.  That’s why we sponsor the Geelong Supercats Basketball Team.

So we were thrilled when Ann Cramp, one of our Personal Trainers and our liaison with the Supercats, organised for us to play a special part in the South Conference SEABL Grand Final on 21st August.

During half time Paula Kontelj, from Bay FM and our Group Fitness Coordinator at Geelong’s Gym, took to the court with some fellow Geelong’s Gym Zumba enthusiasts to give the crowd a taste of what Zumba Fitness is all about.  And boy did they love it!  A great way to get the crowd revved up for the second half.

Paula Kontelj leads the Zumba demonstration during half time

And what do you know… the Supercats won the game and went on to take out the All Conference Grand Final at MSAC on Saturday night!  Well done boys!

If you haven’t tried Zumba yet, why not give it a go?  Check out our extensive timetable and choose the class which suits you best.

It’s the great debate but do sports supplements actually enhance your performance or recovery?

I thought I’d take a look at it today and share a little insight into the debate.

You can't go past good old H2O!

Let’s look at drinks first… Water is fantastic for hydration, no doubt about it and is sufficient for your average 60 minute workout.  But if you’re exercising for longer than 60 minutes, particularly if conditions are humid, then sports drinks provide much needed carbohydrates and sodium.

Now let’s take a look at food substitutes… We know our muscles need protein for recovery and growth and the best time to consume it is right after exercise.  Protein shakes and powders can certainly do the job.  But before you make the investment into them, bear this in mind – your muscles really don’t care if the protein comes from a protein shake or a hard-boiled egg! 

And by the way, you only need 10-20 grams of protein to provide amino acids to muscles.

If you do decide to use sports supplements, here are a few things you need to know:

• A good sports drink contains 14-15 grams of carbs, 110 milligrams of sodium and 30 milligrams of potassium in 8 ounces.  Note: if you’re trying to lose weight, it’s best to stick to water.
• Good energy bars should contain 5 grams of protein, some carbs and very little fat.  Beware of the fat content – some of these bars have very high-calories!
• Choose a protein powder made from whey or milk proteins and make sure you use them within 30 minutes after exercise.

When deciding whether to use sports supplements, the key is to make sure you’re well-informed about what you’re buying.  This information is simply a guide, but hopefully a useful one.

We’d all love a flat, strong stomach but sometimes the thought of doing hundreds of sit ups is seriously daunting.  So, what are the other options?

Paula Kontelj, our Group Fitness Coordinator at Geelong’s Gym, shares her thoughts…

What a fantastic way to develop your core strength!

“For a strong core workout, why not try Les Mills Body Balance?  Having missed this class for about four weeks, I knew I had to go back and so I participated in Pam’s popular Sunday, 4pm class.  It was a great way to wrap up my weekend and for the next two days my abdominal muscles were telling me not to miss the class next week!  Wow, what an unexpected Ab workout!  Easy to follow, hard to forget.”

So check out our timetable and come in and give Body Balance a go and see for yourself what an amazing difference it will make to your core strength.

Happy Birthday!  It’s hard to believe a year has passed and my cheeseburger has turned 1 today, 9th August!

Yes, you read that right.  My cheeseburger has turned 1!  You see my son, Germain Spriet, and I were watching The Bionic Burger a year ago.  It’s a three minute YouTube clip explaining how a lot of fast foods today have so many preservatives in them that if you don’t eat them they’ll still look the same five years later.

Happy Birthday to our 1 Year Old Cheeseburger

Naturally, we had to test it.  We bought a burger and the photo shows what it looks like today, after 1 year.

Which begs the question, what’s it REALLY made of?  What’s been added to it to preserve it?  And more importantly, the bigger question is, what’s it doing to us when we eat this stuff?

Germain hasn’t had a cheeseburger or hamburger from ABC….# since.

It might seem like a strange thing to do, but it’s worked for me.  It’s caused my son and I to question what most people take for granted and eat every day.  In fact, today we’re going to buy from two other fast food brands and add them to the shelf.  It will be interesting to see what happens.

Take three minutes and watch this video and maybe question what you’re putting in your body.

One of the things we love best at Geelong’s Gym is giving our members the chance to learn more about their bodies and how they function.  Bearing this in mind, this year we decided to start a new informational area at the gym which we call the Glass of Knowledge.

Ann Cramp beside the Glass of Knowledge which looked at where men and women store fat

One of our Personal Trainer’s, Ann Cramp, has been heading up this particular area of the gym and she works really hard to find out interesting and informative facts about our bodies so we can learn to better utilise them in a healthy, safe way.

Afterall, the more we know about how our body works, the more we will get out of our workouts at the gym and the more motivated we will be  to strive for greater health and fitness in our life.

The information on this board changes regularly and has lots of different handouts alongside it which Ann has created for members to take away for free.

The current Glass of Knowledge focuses on how the knee works and functions.

The Glass of Knowledge which looks at the function of the Knee

For the second year, a truly worthy event is taking place in Geelong to raise awareness of homelessness – the Walking Home project. Last year, 20 walkers were nominated from various support agencies in Geelong to complete a five day, 189 kilometre walk.  A rigorous training schedule commenced for a 6 month period leading up to the BIG WALK in November 2009.

Walking Home 2009

During the walk, the walkers camped out in the towns along the way and spoke to community groups about the impact of homelessness.

Two amazing outcomes were realized as a result of this event:

• Lots and lots of people wanted to help raise money to assist in buying shoes to give to homeless people.
• Lots and lots of people wanted the opportunity to walk an amazing distance that is way outside their normal activity regime.

This year, the Walking Home project is a one day event being held on Saturday 13^th November 2010…  a 50km walk from Queenscliff to Geelong and it’s open to the public to walk.  As the logistics of putting large numbers of walkers on the open road is too great, the rail trail will be used to the showgrounds and then the last leg of the walk is out on the streets.

There are also options of joining the walk at three alternative stages so you can do 20km, 12km or 5km if you prefer – so why not join the walk for the length which suits you best?!

A small entry fee is involved, as well as an opportunity to have family and friends sponsor your efforts.  Hopefully a lot of much needed money for Homelessness will be generated.

T-shirts are included in the 50km walk entry and also available for sale for people joining the walk at the various points.

And finally, here is your chance to walk and make a difference… not just to this worthwhile cause, but to your health and fitness.  A challenge, a goal to reach.

So put your best foot forward and start on this journey today. See the Walking Home notice board at Geelong’s Gym for the full training schedule and lots of helpful hints, plus registration details.

Geelong’s Gym is proud to be one of the sponsors of the Walking Home project and the training facility for the walkers.

Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, new research pops up to change the way you should eat, drink and cook.  Let’s take a look at some of the old thinking and what the latest is…

• 

  Yes it’s true, you now have permission to chew!

  Eating Fat Makes You Fat.  The Mayo Clinic in the US has found people who increased their intake of monounsaturated fats actually lost weight without decreasing their kilojoules.  Plus, olive oil, nuts, olives and avocados reduce stomach fat.

• Chewing Gum Makes You Hungrier, So You Eat More.  Not so.  A study has found people who chew gym for an hour a day are more likely to eat less kilojoules at lunch, feel less hungry during the day and use 5% more kilojoules.
• Room Temperature Water Is Best For Rehydrating.  A new study says to keep it chilled.  According to Dr Jason Lee, cold water could be the most direct way to reduce core body temperature, therefore taking you longer to heat up and slow down.
• After A Tough Workout Take Nurofen To Offset Soreness.  Popping anti-inflammatories actually reduces production of the chemicals needed for muscle growth and repair.
• Steaming Is The Best Way To Cook Vegies.  These days, the microwave does a much better job of retaining the most recovery-boosting antioxidants.  Put your vegies in a bowl with a small amount of water and cook for 2-3 minutes.

This information was sourced from Australian Women’s Health magazine.

Les Mills Body Combat - kick your way to a tighter butt!

What is the best workout for your butt? 

At Geelong’s Gym we have some different options…

Sure, Karen’s Butts ‘n’ Guts class on Tuesday nights at 6.30pm and Wednesdays at 10.15am is awesome!  But, you can also try Nathan’s Friday night Les Mills Body Combat class at 6.30pm!

It’s the “lunges’ and the “round house kicks” that really get you.  No gloves required, but you’ll punch and kick your way to a great toned body and a rock hard butt!

And by the way, this class is a whole lot of fun!

What a fantastic week it’s been!  I had the awesome privilege to be part of an event where AFL Legend, Tom Hafey, shared his secrets to great health.  And boy, does this guy walk what he talks…

Every single morning he gets up at 5.20am and runs 6-7 kilometres along the beach.  When he returns home he does 200 push ups and 700 sit ups!  So it’s no wonder he’s got the strength and fitness of a man half his age!

Tom Hafey with event organisers Gerard Spriet from Geelong's Gym, Ross Hultgren from Chapman Welsh Financial Services and Rob Claridge from Claridge Naturopathics

I, along with Ross Hultren from Chapman Welsh Financial Services and Rob Claridge from Claridge Naturopathics, wanted to actively promote good health and wellbeing in the Geelong community.  We invited Tom because he has such a strong link to Geelong and, of course, because he’s such a fantastic example of what can be achieved with a healthy, fit lifestyle.

Incorporated into the evening was the introduction of our new BioAge Program at Geelong’s Gym.  We are thrilled to have this cutting edge technology which allows us to accurately measure a person’s biological age in comparison to their chronological age.

Unfortunately, a huge number of Australians have a biological age significantly higher than their chronological age.  But the good news is, now that we can accurately measure it we can improve it!  If you want to know more about this revolutionary program, click here.

All proceeds from the evening were donated to local Geelong charity, Our Women, Our Children.

I’m guessing that most of you guys out there think Yoga is for particularly flexible women and no way are you going to even attempt contorting your body into impossible positions.  Am I right?

But here’s the thing, change is inevitable and that’s just the case with Yoga and men.  In recent times, Yoga has become the new cross-training for men who want to increase their flexibility and improve their muscle conditioning.  Why?  Well, if you play sport, wouldn’t it be great to be able to bend your body into above mentioned nearly impossible positions?!

Still not convinced?  Here are some excellent ways men can benefit from Yoga:

I'm sure this picture more accurately depicts than words how much of a workout Yoga can give a man

1.  Yoga works the entire body.  Did you know, in sports like football you only utilise approximately 10-15% of the body, whereas Yoga provides a workout which covers every muscle, joint and organ.

2.  Yoga has benefits in the bedroom.  Guarasana, or the Eagle Pose, is a posture which sends fresh blood and oxygen to the sexual organs, so this is a particularly beneficial exercise for men in revitalising their bedroom prowess!

3.  Yoga works for every size.  It doesn’t matter how you look when you practise Yoga, it will push your personal boundaries by increasing your flexibility, endurance and muscle strength.

4.  Yoga decreases muscle soreness.  Yoga is hugely beneficial in working out stiffness from other sports.  When muscles are fatigued, it stretches and releases tension.  Runners in particular find Yoga the best activity after a long endurance run.

5.  Yoga restores energy levels.  Rather than depleting all of your energy, Yoga actually increases your vigour, making you feel more aware and revitalised.

6.  Yoga trains your focus.  By combining mental, physical and emotional strength you can become a better athlete in your chosen sport.  Generally, men struggle to let their egos go, but in Yoga you train your mind to shut down and can, therefore, more easily focus it when you need to.

7.  Yoga flushes your system.  If you’ve been drinking a little too much lately, Yoga is the perfect way to rid yourself of all those pent-up toxins.

So there you have it.  Seven fantastic reasons why men should start doing Yoga.  And if you’re still not convinced, some famous men have practised Yoga to heighten their sporting performance: Wayne Gretzky, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and John McEnroe to name but a few.

So guys, why not give it a go.  To find out more about Yoga at Geelong’s Gym, click here.