Geelong's Gym

We have the miracle treatment for Obesity!!!

We can help you on your weight loss journey!

Forget fat zapping, lipo-sucking treatments.

Geelong’s Gym is home to the Obesity Clinic. 

All results are clinically and scientifically backed by years of medical research.

We have the answer you have been looking for…

The MOVEMENT CURE!

Pop into Geelong’s Gym for your very own action plan and start tackling your weight problem today.  Our friendly staff are here to help you with every step of your journey.

Have you ever given any thought to what motivates you to do the things you do?

Recently, I got sent a You Tube video on the science of what motivates us.  I’ve put it here for you to have a look at, because it’s an absolutely fascinating insight into what REALLY motivates us.  Check it out…

It’s something I’ve given a lot of thought to over the years, because obviously in the fitness industry what motivates people to exercise is pretty important.  What’s the bet you think the major motivators are weight loss, body image, health and fitness related?

While those are definitely factors in motivating someone to get into the gym and exercise, there’s actually something greater than that behind all those things… we are all motivated by having a PURPOSE in our lives… whether that be to lose a few kilos or to find a cure for cancer.

Take a look at your workplace for example.  I’m sure that you’re considerably more motivated on the days when you feel like you’re making a REAL contribution.

I have a number of core values in place here at Geelong’s Gym and one of those is Contribution.  Why?  Because I love to contribute to the individual lives around me and to the community at large.  That desire to contribute also motivates me, and the rest of my team, to keep working and striving to make my Gym more successful… because then I can contribute even more to the community around me and make the world just that little bit better.

One of the things we love doing at Geelong’s Gym is passing on our knowledge and experience to our members.  That way they have the opportunity to learn, grow and then pass on that knowledge to the greater community… it’s a ripple effect (or Pay It Forward effect) that we’re delighted to continuously start. 

Today, I’m going to share an example of this.  One of our members, Nicole Hadskis Gordon, used the information and experience she’s gained over the course of her time at the gym to help her Mum shed a significant amount of weight.  This is Nicole’s story…

“I’m a member of Geelong’s Gym and I workout regularly.  My Mum, on the other hand, isn’t a member of any gym, hadn’t worked out for a while and had put on quite a bit of weight.  Instead of letting her go it alone, I was, and still am, there for her during her weight loss journey.

To begin with, I started her on some basic cardio every day of the week for an hour or more, depending on her level of motivation.  Sometimes this would be the treadmill, bike or simply a brisk walk outside – but whatever it was, she couldn’t stop unless she was sweating!

Testing Mum’s strength was the next step, so I could put together a weights program to help target the smaller muscle groups.  We started small, with one kilo dumbbells and did tricep kickbacks, overhead extensions and bicep curls.  We then followed with crunches and oblique twists to target her abs.

Motivation is a huge factor in any physical activity, so supporting her during the tough times and encouraging her that she looks slimmer, healthier and happier was an important part of my role.  The fact that she can now buy new, smaller sized clothes is a massive reward!

To date Mum has lost 17 kilos and she’s still going!”

Great job Nicole and good luck to your Mum for the rest of her health, fitness and weight loss journey!

I’m sure many of us are doing constant battle with our weight as it goes up, down, left, right, backwards, forwards and every which way… I bet we’re all sick of it too!

Did you know that there are actually certain times in our lives when our weight is most likely to spike?

• First Semester of University – yep, the all night drinking and constant fast food stacks on the kilos super fast.
• Falling in Love – many women start matching their men bite for bite when they live with, or marry, them, despite the fact that men need more kilojoules than women do.
• When you hit your 30s – women in particular start to lose muscle mass in their 30s, resulting in a slow down of their metabolism.

It's so frustrating when your weight keeps going up and down constantly!

But it’s not all bad news.  There are ways to beat the weight gain.  For a start, pack a healthy lunch, eat smaller portions and add some strength training into your exercise regime for the week to keep your metabolism fired up.

And to make sure you don’t get into the habit of yo-yoing weight:

• Be Realistic – throw out all the crash diets and fads; instead adopt a healthy eating lifestyle which allows the odd treat every now and then.
• Be Patient – don’t expect the weight to come off instantly!  Healthy weight loss is to reduce your weight by approximately 10% over six months.
• Be Supported – research shows spending time with others who have successfully lost weight will help you maintain your own weight loss.
• Be Analytical – take note of any mood changes that make you want to eat more, so you can identify when you’re emotionally eating.
• Be Active – no surprise here… make sure you keep up a regular exercise routine, ideally with a mix of cardio and strength training at least three times a week.
• Be Flexible – don’t feel like you have to stick to salad every day of the week; if you get bored, try something different (but still healthy).
• Be Optimistic – forget about times in the past where you’ve failed to lose weight successfully and instead keep a positive attitude and focus on how good you feel when you eat well and exercise regularly.

And if you need any help, any one of our Personal Trainers would be more than happy to put together a healthy eating plan and exercise program for you.

Information in this post sourced from Women’s Health magazine.

GYM STICKS… What the??  Yes, they have been around for a while now but they originated in Finland and only migrated to us Aussies in 2005.  These unique, extremely versatile training tools allow you to train anywhere, at any time and reward you with a whole range of fitness results.

The Gym Stick is just shy of 2 metres long with a resistance band at each end that drops down to a foot attachment on the base of the band.  There are 5 levels of resistance, which allows both newcomers and the hardcores to get the complete benefits from a Gym Stick workout.  Workouts tend to range from 30 minutes for the beginners all the way through to a full body hour session for those a little further ahead.

Get this… It’s not abnormal to burn up to 700 calories in a 60 minute Gym Stick workout!

Adding the Gym Stick to your regime can provide you with many different health and fitness benefits.  They include: coordination, strength, power, balance and sensory response and, of course, weight loss.

We recently had experienced Gym Stick trainer, Dale Ringin, volunteer his time to introduce our members to a Gym Stick group fitness class.  Check out the video and learn a little more about the Gym Stick.

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.

Do you ever feel like you’re doing all the right things but the weight just isn’t coming off?  It’s times like this you need a little inspiration and encouragement to keep going, so today I want to share with you a story of one of our members at Geelong’s Gym…

Rebecca Cortorillo with a pair of her old pants

Rebecca Cortorillo had always been overweight and a bigger person.  In January 2008 she joined Geelong’s Gym but, needing some help, in February 2009 she decided to get a Personal Trainer to try and turn her life around.

In the past she’d lost a bit of weight only to regain it again.  Sick of the non-stop roller coaster ride of losing and gaining weight, she knew she needed to be accountable to someone.  And it worked.

Since training with Marcus Smith she has lost a massive 32 kilos!  In her own words:

“I have heaps more energy, feel healthier and jump out of bed in the mornings now.  Plus, I feel much more confident.  In fact, I actually enjoy buying clothes now.  The first time I bought a new top I was so excited to be able to tell Marcus how amazing it felt to be able to choose any top from the rack.  Marcus makes me laugh, and we have heaps of fun training – it’s great.  It is definitely the best thing I have ever done.  I love it!!”

Rebecca’s story is truly inspirational and the best thing is, she’s still going strong and working towards her goal weight.

So if you’re feeling disheartened with your progress, don’t give up.  You can do it.  And if you need a little help and motivation, why not book in for some Personal Training.  You won’t regret it.

Marcus Smith and Rebecca Cortorillo say goodbye to the old pants, now much too big!

I believe there’s a great deal of power in understanding what you eat and today I’m going to encourage you to add herbs and spices into your meals, if you don’t already do so, because they have such incredible health benefits for your body.

In the interest of not creating a blog post as long as both my arms,  I’m just going to look at four items today:

Cumin – did you know this is the most popular spice all over the world?  It’s not hard to see why.  It is a good source of iron, promotes a healthy digestive system and, if made into tea, reportedly cures stomach disorders.  It is also said to enhance liver and kidney function, boost immunity and treat skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and dryness, relieve nausea and diarrhea, and many believe, when used as a tonic, it can prevent cancer.  Phew!  That’s a long list of fantastic health benefits from something so simple.  Oh and least I forget, for those trying to lose weight, it makes your metabolism more efficient!

Sage – sage is derived from a Latin word meaning “to save or to heal”, so that’s a pretty good start.  There is an old Arab proverb which says, “Why should a man die when sage grows in his garden.”  And the Romans used it to heal many ailments from snakebites to epilepsy!  Sage has been known to restore failing memories in elderly people and studies have shown that when combined with biloba and rosemary, sage is effective in slowing down Alzheimers.  It can cure sore throats, coughs, liver disorders and upset stomachs.  And, if you didn’t mind carrying it around in your bag, can be used as a breath freshener and tooth cleaner!

Add some herbs to your diet and you might have better luck!

Rosemary – a good source of minerals and iron, it is also a dietary fibre and when applied externally as an oil, rejuvenates the skin and strengthens the capillaries.  In fact, did you know that many cosmetics have rosemary as the primary component?  It has been used to treat headaches, digestion problems, regulation of the menstrual cycle and stimulates hair growth, prevents premature greying and boosts mental activity!  Once again, it can aid in preventing cancer, Alzheimers and bad breath!

Ginger – this wonderful plant contains approximately 1-4% of volatile oils which are responsible for its medicinal value.  It is extremely effective in curing gastrointestinal distress and hence is used in natural travel sickness pills.  It has an anti-vomiting action useful in reducing nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, reduces the pain of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis , relieves dizziness and stimulates circulation of the blood, cleansing the bowels and kidneys.

So why  not add some extra herbs and spices into your diet on a regular basis?  Your body will certainly thank you for it!

Here’s an observation of mine: if a person can eat their way to weight loss they’re going to take it.  So my post today is about the humble Acai Berry and whether it can indeed aid weight loss.

Until a few years ago most of us probably hadn’t heard of the Acai Berry, but since Oprah promoted it to the top of her list of superfoods it has suddenly become famous.

So what is the Acai Berry?

Pronounced ah-sigh-ee, it is a small, round, black/purple fruit about an inch in diameter and is grown in the Amazon region of Brazil.  Unsurprisingly, it makes up a large part of the diet in Brazil and is a huge cash crop for the area.

The humble Acai Berry

The Berry is believed to have tremendous health properties and has been used by the Amazonian tribes to cure various ailments.  These tribes discovered that it helped build the immune system, fight infection, protect the heart and control prostate enlargement.  It is also a cholesterol controller, an antioxidant and has been used to produce antibiotics to fight Staph infections.

That’s a pretty impressive resume for such a small berry!

But can it help me lose weight?

Well it can certainly help if combined with a proper diet and regular exercise.  It has a natural combination of antioxidants, essential fatty acids, amino acids and phytosterols which work together to help your body function better, process food more easily and burn fat more efficiently.  It also boosts your metabolism and reportedly suppresses your appetite because of its high fibre content.

Certainly this little berry has a lot going for it, so give it a go and see what you think.

The battle to stick to a diet is nothing new.  Today, I thought I’d share with you some funny diet quotes from years ago…

• Oh!  That this too solid flesh would melt.  William Shakespeare
• Everything I like is either illegal, immoral or fattening.  Alexander Woollcott
• Let me put it this way.  According to my girth, I should be a 90 foot Redwood.  Erma Bombeck
• All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast.  John Gunther
• Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity.  Voltaire
• Food is an important part of a balanced diet.  Fran Lebowitz
• We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink.  Epicurus
• The more you eat, the less flavour; the less you eat, the more flavour.  Chinese Proverb
• Avoid fruit and nuts.  You are what you eat.  Jim Davis
• Fish, to taste right, must swim three times – in water, in butter and in wine.  Polish Proverb

And I thought I’d leave you with this one:

Marcus’ therapist told him the way to achieve true inner peace was to remember to always finish what he started.  So today, Marcus has finished 2 bags of potato crisps, a gallon of ice cream, two buckets of chicken and a chocolate cake.  He feels much better already.