Fit into Life Health & Fitness Newsletter
By:

JUNE- JULY 2011

HEALTH & FITNESS MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

Welcome back to the June – July 2011 Newsletter. It is unbelievable how time flies by.  The weather has certainly become colder and most of you would be thinking; why the hell should I get out of the warm bed, or heated house and go and train. Think of it this way, you have started, you are in a routine and now you should stick to it. Skip one session; it then ends in skipping two, then three on so forth. This issue of the newsletter will be addressing the following;

·          Sticking with it – the mental challenges of fitness training.

·         Great tips to keep your body in fantastic fitness shape during the winter months.

·         Why Stretch

·         Running Group & extra training sessions

·         Recipes & nutrition assistance

·         Events & what is happening in the fitness world.

·         Links to websites to check out

MENTAL CHALLENGES OF FITNESS TRAINING: When it comes to taking on fitness training & sticking with it, we all know there are several types of challenges which lay ahead of us. These challenges range from the physical, behavioural & of course the mental. The mental challenges are one of the greatest & hardest to overcome. Mental challenges occur in even the most experienced athlete.

Even before we start any form of fitness training, our state of mind is playing all sorts of tricks. We plan, get ready and then all of a sudden our brain creates untimely messages which override the positives. The messages, can include ‘I am not ready’, ‘let’s start another day’ ‘I can’t be bothered’. This is where people tend to give up before they actually start.

If you can get past this happening and once training has started, these negative messages will not stop. Unfortunately it is a natural occurrence for your brain to create negative messages, moods & low motivation levels.

It can be so harmful it does not allow us to train at our best, it does not allow us to keep up with an exercise routine, it prevents us for sticking with exercise long term and the most harmful of all, it can create a level of low self- esteem, depression and anxiety.

At any level of fitness or exercise, our mental state will play a part. When training, adrenalin can only get you so far and allow your body to perform at its peak however, when the adrenalin levels drop, you body’s realisation that you’re performing exercise can start creating these harmful messages. Your brain recognises your fuel storages are being depleted, you are fatiguing and so your mental state will create messages of highs and lows.  

Training your mind & mental state is like training the body when it comes to fitness.

We have to learn to accept what the mind can & will do. We have to learn how to read certain messages and how to deal with each and every one. It is not an easy thing to do, as mentioned before, even the greatest and most experienced athletes struggle with the negative state mind.   

Mental toughness comes from overriding the brain’s senses telling you to quit & give up. It comes from knowing your true abilities in what you are trying to achieve & knowing how physically fit your body is come session time, race day or competition time.

Having a personal trainer or coach allows you have assistance in tackling the negative messages. It gives you the ability to understand what your mind is doing and how to push through it. By receiving constant positive feedback, support & motivation, you will be able to have a greater chance of pushing yourself through all the tough times. Learning & understanding the body & brain actions & reactions during training is a step in the right direction. If for any reason, the mental challenges are proving too much, there is always assistance from health professionals. Whatever you do, don’t give up before you seek help. Take it from me, I know how debilitating these mental challenges can be.  

NUTRITION: Yes nutrition. The experts are constantly telling us, weight loss is all about the 80/20 rule, 80% nutrition & 20% fitness training. Another words, eating the right foods, eat them at the right time, fuel & re-fuel, it plays a greater part in losing weight & keeping it off.

Nutrition is not about starving yourself, going on a fad diet or not eating particular foods, it is all about eating plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, no fat or low fat products, plenty of fish & chicken (protein), small amounts of red meat (iron), good carbs, yogurts, nuts & seeds & having the “odd” treat as a reward.

Every magazine you pick up or current affairs/news program you watch, there is always something new about our foods we eat. Don’t eat this because… don’t that because, eat this because it does this… and eat this because it does that. How is the average person ever going to learn what to eat and what not to eat.

To make it plain and simple for everyone;

Get to really know your foods. Get to know what is in each bit of food you eat & what it can do to your body. By understanding food preferences, we can make sure we make the right choice each time.

 Make sure you have plenty of variety of fresh healthy foods, avoid the (bad fats) at all times & reduce the sugar intake. This is not hard at all. There is no use going out there and training your heart away each & every session & not fuel & refuel your body with the right foods. You might as well sit back on the couch, watch your favourite show & do nothing.

As your fitness levels increase and your training sessions increase, your food intake will change. Of course, it all depends on what type of training your undertaking and what your goals are. For example; if you’re a body builder – high protein diet. If you are an endurance athlete, then you have a higher carb intake.

Fuelling & re-fuelling the body with the right nutrition is the most important part of any fitness program. Transformation, weight loss will not come by sticking to your normal eating habits.

A great tip is; keep a food diary. Write down exactly what you eat & drink & when in a seven day period and I mean exactly. Why cheat, you are only cheating yourself. Once you have finished the seven days, go through the diary very carefully and highlight the negatives (eg fatty foods, sugars, oils) & anything else you know can inhibit any fitness improvements or weight loss. Get rid of them immediately. Replace them with foods which you should definitely be eating.

There are so many great websites you can visit to get nutritious recipes. They don’t have to be challenging, or Masterchef level, they can be as easy as making salads, cooking a piece of salmon, chicken or lean meat.

www.swapit.gov.au     www.nutritionaustralia.org     www.taste.com.au  www.heartfoundation.org.au

All I am asking of you all is; don’t become complacent with your nutrition and don’t rely on others to spoon feed you. Taking care of your own nutrition is totally up to you. If you are not sure about certain facts then ask for assistance.

KEEPING FIT DURING WINTER: So what are you doing right now? Why aren’t you keeping your training going? Why are you making excuse after excuse not to train? So what if the weather is not the greatest. Well…

Exercise by now should be second nature for most of you and if it’s not then, why not? I can guarantee if you haven’t kept up with any form of exercise you will be staring at yourself in the mirror or in a photo in months to come and think why, why didn’t I continue, why didn’t I take the best opportunity of my life.

Personal training and any form of training has to be one of the greatest investments you will ever make in your life. That is right; it is your life you are playing Russian roulette with. It is not about spending hundreds of dollars every single week on training, it is about being training smart and about balancing your lifestyle to include personal training. Look at where you spend, look at what you can cut back on, and look at what you really need to do rather than what you want. Another words, have one less take away meal a week or two less drinks on the weekend.

If ever I can give you a training tip then this is it. Stop what you are doing right now, look at your family, your friends, your children and then think which is more important to you, being fit & healthy and live a long fruitful life or live a lazy unhealthy life which could end in your family, friends or children not having you around. It is never too late to change & never too late to start.

NEW RUNNING GROUP: I have decided to start a running group. This is not about extra dollars for me, it is about receiving certain requests from clients who wish to receive extra training & assistance with running distances. Most of you would have received an invitation to join me every second weekend (can be either a Saturday or Sunday, morning or afternoon) to complete a 45 minute training session. The session will include running distances, skills & training tips & tricks. The group is designed for everyone, beginners to the experienced.

The cost is $10 per person & if you like, you may bring along a family member or friend to be with you & enjoy a training session at the same time.

WHY STRETCH: To many people stretching is the most boring things they can do, it hurts and they have a belief it does not actually do anything for them. To others, it is a ritual and they cannot do it enough. You have probably realised there are plenty of myths and facts out and about relating to stretching so, who do you believe and which one is true?

I will ask this question. How many of you have had an exercise injury which you have then ended up at the Physiotherapist or a Chiropractor? I can guarantee most or all of you. Injury & Rehab is a huge industry & is growing by the day because people who are undergoing any form of exercise or training do not understand the importance of pre and post stretching.

Stretching assists in realising the built up tension & tightness in the major muscles. It assists in recovery & allows the body’s muscles to become more flexible and work harder during your training sessions. Without stretching, your muscles can become so tight your range of movement (ROM) can be restricted therefore, you are not benefiting 100% from each exercise undertaken, for example, a squat. If your calf muscles, hamstrings & quads are tight, then your ability to complete a full squat is impossible. You start to rely on other muscles & joints to do the work.

Stretching is the key to advancing your exercises, load & intensity.

UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR: I am not sure whether or not any of you realise, there are a number of upcoming sporting & fund raising events occurring over the next couple of months. Some of them include;

v  Sutherland to Surf – an 11km run/walk held in July, possibly the 24th.

v  Sutherland Half Marathon & Gala Day – this is on the 20 August at Lady Carrington drive in the Royal National Park, Audley & the distances range from 1km, 2km, 3km, 5km, 10km & 21.1km. Visit  www.suthohalf.com

v  City to Surf – 14km run from the heart of the City to Bondi held in August.

v  Blackmore’s Running Festival – choose from a 4km run/walk, 9km Bridge run or Half Marathon, all held in September.  

v  Triathlon Season – this kicks off around September/October each and every year and runs through to the end of March the following year. There are triathlons for beginners’ right through to the very experience. There are short courses through to the ironman courses.  They are loads of fun & with the right training & support you will be able to complete one. Great websites you can visit regarding triathlons are;

www.trinswrace.org             www.triathlon.org.au          www.eventlist.com.au

If any of you are interested in entering one or more of these events or any other sporting event, let me know & can adjusting your training so you will be more than able to fulfil your goals of competing and achieving your best result. I can also assist you in registering or simply supporting you in your endeavours.

NOTE:  I would truly love you all too seriously think about joining me in the fun. It would definitely make for a fantastic day out. 

WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH ME:  I have actually ventured into the world of Facebook & created a Business page, Fit into Life Health & Fitness. It is relatively new and I have quite a bit of work still to do to make it fun & appealing to all. Go onto Facebook & have a look. Click on the like button, ask a question, make a comment, ask to be my friend and assist me in creating one of the best business pages I can.

I am really interested in finding out what I can do for you. What you need from being a fitness client, what you want to get out of being a fitness client and of course what type of loyalty rewards & referral rewards you might like.

As your Personal Trainer, I want to be able to give you 200% return by increasing my efforts and making being a fitness client the best ever investment you have made.

Remember, stay active, stay motivated & stay on track to achieve your goals.