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useful fitness
05/02/2016
Whenever I hear the word ‘Aerobics’ I get a picture of Jane Fonda in leg warmers. I remember studying Sports Science back in 1995 in Sydney and it was a very competitive course to get into. 4000 people applying for 90 places. It was seen as a great thing to do at the time and a super fun and promising career. The only problem was that most people who applied thought they would be kicking a footy around or doing aerobics all day long. The reality was a pretty serious science degree including physics, chemistry, biomechanics, physiology and anatomy. This saw about 40 people out of the original 90 who got in actually make it to graduation. That being said, there was one course we had to do later in the degree, and that was teaching an aerobics class. We all thought this was pretty stupid in light of all the other mind bending stuff they had got us to do to that point, but it was a prerequisite for reasons that remain unknown. Maybe it was comic relief for the lecturers in seeing science nerds jump around like Richard Simmons. Now, I saw myself as aerobically fit, and when I had last done aerobics in the 80’s, it was a million repetitions of the same thing, which any idiot could do if they were persistent and crazy enough to keep pushing… I was that idiot. I decided that I should get myself ready for my compulsory teaching of the class (with or without leg warmers) and do a few […]
21/01/2016
At Best Practice, we are big on behaviour change and we like to use every little psychological trick in the book to achieve it. When it comes to the best tricks, I look at how games are designed and then use the addictive nature of such ingenious methodology to mould the action of clients towards the ‘good’ habits, as opposed to the numerous bad ones we form, seemingly without even trying. And you know what, I think that last point is key – ‘without even trying’. When I finish a workout now, I almost can’t wait to tick the box in our systems that says, in graphical form, “hey you got something done pal”. My little calendar, which is easily accessible on my smart phone displays a little orange man on the day when ever I have completed a workout. As simple as that is, the accumulation of little men means I know at a glance that I am active in that week, and I will do almost anything to make sure I can tick the box that means I get a little icon to show up. I guess another big reason this works is because ‘being active’ is one of my KPI’s for a good life and like anyone, I want a good life. We use this method with our clients and members because it is easier to drive new behaviour with the simple rather than the complex. You should give it a go. Even a simple walk get’s you a tick and an orange man. Our two group […]
20/08/2015
As fitness coaches (aka personal trainers), we seem to always be banging on about getting into a habit of exercise. And you know what, that IS super important. The reason is, once you have this habit you are good because no matter what happens in your life, you will always find a way back, even when things get really really hard. I know this is the case for me and I liken it to being an addict of some kind, but with a more positive spin. I never quite feel normal unless I have some of it. Don’t get me wrong, I have my many challenges too like you that compete for my time and take me away from the optimal fitness/health routine. I know any of you out there that own and run a business will really get that, and when you have a young family, the responsibilities are especially significant. But it is only ever days that go by without me getting some of the ‘good oil’, which is either good for my functional strength or cardiovascular fitness. It is a great stress manager as well as the rest of it and I am glad it is such a fixed part of my life. Just recently though, the one thing that I haven’t dialed in enough to my own personal routine, is recovery. I am still working on making this a ‘teeth cleaning’ habit, like exercise is. I finally got a massage yesterday and my body is thanking me for it today. As with those of you struggling […]
30/06/2015
The wheel of life goes round and round. How smooth is your wheel and how close to the edge are you? Health & Fitness is the stand out priority no matter how wonky your wheel might look. Literally everything hinges on it. Let’s take a look and put that little assertion to the test. Career & Work. I hear this one a A LOT! “I have no time for exercise because I am working so hard to forward my career and build a future for my family, so my job is my main focus for now. When I get on top of this then I will spend more time with my family, and then get to looking after myself”. How much time do you think you have in this life? It’s a no brainer that you will perform better when you are healthy and fit, and your family will want to spend time with you when you have the energy to give. Cart before the horse and all that! Also, let’s get one thing straight. No one ever said on their deathbed, “gee I wish I spent more time at work”. So if your career and work are getting on top of you (and you will know this by the stress you feel) carve out some “me” time now, because the investment reaps dividends every time. Even if you think it won’t… Trust me I am a personal trainer 🙂 “Me” time by the way is not getting to the pub and downing 6 schooners at lunch. I worked in a fitness […]
26/06/2015
Where do you wear your carbs? Now this is a question I’m sure many people are very interested in… There is a lot of confusing information out there about diet and eating. Make no mistake – the ‘weight loss’ business has been (and will continue to be) a huge industry. Why though? Why is this the case? If what they are selling is so good, why hasn’t someone come up with the answer yet thereby effectively ending the prolific amount of information written on the subject?? The answer is that it is a self perpetuating business model. What I mean is that what they are collectively suggesting creates short term but unsustainable results, which inevitably leads to snap back. And not only does the weight snap back, it comes back with interest… The reason is that most diets create a metabolic environment that makes long term fat loss (which is what the whole thing should be about) harder and harder. Talk about an ingenious business model… Give quick, short term joy only to take it away (thus creating the need again) and offer the same thing again in a new form that seems appealing all over. We all recognize the need within ourselves for novelty and fresh ideas to keep us interested. What do I suggest then? Stop looking for the easy answer. As a mate of mine once told me when I was learning how to work on my old timber boat, “the shortcut you are looking for will be the long cut you were trying to avoid. Do […]
18/06/2015
Sometimes when it comes to change, it can seem overwhelming. Paralysis by analysis. Sometimes it feels like that the job is just too big… When members come to us with this feeling, I like to break it down to one thing only because this focus allows positive movement. I always ask what is the one behaviour that you know you need to change and are 99.9% sure you can achieve in the next week? I tell them to make it such an easy thing that success is assured. This is where confidence starts to build. Each week, you start to add just one more thing. I feel that it is good advice in all aspects of a change program whether it be rehabilitation, a new nutritional plan or the start of a serious transformation. The longest journey starts with but a small step. There is often much wisdom and truth in the age old clichés. When I was playing tennis, the one thing that helped get me in the zone (which unfortunately often wasn’t enough) was when I could focus, not on the one tournament I was in or the one match ahead or even the one game I was playing. It wasn’t even the one point….. it was the one hit. This laser focus allowed me to get into the moment and just enjoy the process of playing the game. It stopped me from the “what if’s” and the fear that comes with the territory of an outcome focus. This is because there are just so many things you […]
07/05/2015
On the weekend we had our annual trip to the corporate triathlon on the Gold Coast. It was a lot of fun as usual as it was a beautiful morning at Southport and there were plenty of people all shapes and sizes creating a great atmosphere. It certainly didn’t look like it was going to go ahead given the weather on Friday night! Well done to members Anthony Tuite, Dan Boucher and James Stott for partaking in this event. Now to talk about useful fitness, why I do events and why you should too! I love these events for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it is the excuse to exercise that a lot of us need, including me. Now I am not a huge swimmer or cyclist but this event gets me doing these things. And I can tell you there is nothing better for your exercise routine then to mix it up. It makes you far more likely to continue because variety is the spice of life and the chance of overuse injury is reduced considerably. I also like these events because they give our members a greater sense of purpose with their training and it gives people who may be a little apprehensive a chance to have a go and maybe get something regular going. Let’s face it. It can be hard to start this fitness gig and to stay motivated with it at times. I recommend that everyone who is nervous about starting to take one small step at a time… who knows where it can […]
05/05/2015
We are moving into a cool time of the year and there is nothing better than snuggling up in front of a fireplace with a glass of fine wine and handcrafted chocolate! Say what? I thought this was a health and fitness rant? I can almost hear my members choking on their protein shakes whenever I utter these words. Now before you go away and think that this is some kind of perpetuation plan for an “ongoing need for a personal trainer” business model, understand this. The mentality of “I can’t have” is a losing game. We have all heard talk of the 80:20 rule and so it applies here, with one exception but even then, a ‘perfectly’ disciplined approach to health and fitness is not only not possible, but self defeating in the end. If you live by the idea that you tick all the boxes of a healthy and fit lifestyle 80% of the time, you will be doing very well indeed. The exception is the person who has some serious and significant goals to achieve. This person, for progress, often needs to be more in the 90:10 category. But you will note that this is still not an ‘all or none’ approach. The reason it is better to have a fudge factor in there is that mentally most of us need a metaphorical pressure relief valve and some of those things that we don’t always have are quite frankly fun and sometimes even awesome! When you are trying to change some bad habits, the thought of doing […]