What are we doing to help prevent the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID_19)?

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To our wonderful clients and community,

It is uncertain times and we know that everyone is concerned about the spread and possible consequences of the Coronavirus and it is a fragile time. And as a service based business forefront in our mind is the wellbeing of you, our clients.

Given the current climate we have heightened our cleaning and hygiene practices at the Studio (& homes) to ensure we aim for the highest standards. As you are aware I (Linda) am always pedantic in the cleanliness of the studio but feel we need to put more measures in place. As a team will be undertaking strict measures and we ask kindly that you wouldn’t mind taking some extra measures too when you are coming in for your sessions.Here are some of the additional steps that we are taking at the studio:

  • Hand sanitizers will be at the front entrance and at the water cooler.
  • Mandatory mat cleaning after each clients use.
  • Providing anti-bacterial wipes for use on equipment which are at various points around the studio.
  • Bathrooms have had cotton towels removed and paper towel is now available to dry hands.
  • Regularly wiping down heavy traffic surfaces and door handles.
  • Using disinfectant & sprays regularly around the studio throughout the day.
  • Requesting that our teachers limit the use of hands-on assists.

As an aside we are trying very hard to have enough tissues, sanitiser and anti-bacterial wipes but as you would all be aware the recent panic buying has made it hard for us have a large enough volume on hand but we strive to source.You are welcome, and we encourage you, to take any or all of the following measures to support yourself during this time:

  • Bringing your own hand towel to class.
  • Making use of our hand sanitizers when in the studios or bringing your own
  • Washing your hands thoroughly and regularly – our bathrooms have full soap dispensers and paper towels – note one sheet can easily wipe your hands dry
  • Bringing your own water bottle, perhaps even filled before you arrive
  • Ensuring that, if you feel unwell, that you stay home and rest.

Finally, it is a situation that no one wants to be in and we are here to support each and everyone of you, where we can. We encourage each of you to keep up your exercise during this period as it is well documented that keeping fit, exercising, eating well and good sleep help to maintain the healthy functioning of your immune system.

Also as an additional resource following is the link to Australian Government Department of Health Resources that you can read and / or down load for more information. https://www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-resources

Take care, and we look forward to seeing you in the studio soon.

With your wellbeing in mind,
JC, Linda and the ALTA Fitness Team

Carbohydrates – The Complexities of Carbohydrates!

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variety-of-fruits-and-vegetables-2280569By Amy Patterson-Bocchi

ALTA Personal Trainer and Health Coach @ Active Glow Wellness Training

Before we head into this article Amy is giving a seminar at ALTA Fitness on Thursday 27th Feb at 7pm on Healthy Longevity.

Book now $25pp on 0400063 786 or contact@altafitness.com.au

“DON’T STRESS… THEY ARE NOT EVIL.”  The story with carbohydrates is complex. Your body DOES need them. The body can operate on fat as fuel, but carbs are more than just fuel for your brain. It’s about FIBRE for your gut. 

Let’s back up a little… all foods can be broken down into categories: proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Our bodies require all of these categories. All three categories have very important and numerous roles in our bodies. 

There are also different types of carbohydrates. Quite often people think of rice, pasta and bread when the ‘C’ word comes up, but carbohydrates are also in meat, dairy, nuts, fruit and vegetables in different amounts. It’s impossible to avoid them completely and you wouldn’t really want to. 

Females in particular need carbohydrates in their diet leading up to their menstrual cycles, as low-carbohydrates can affect your hormone production and fertility. 

Carbohydrates in the form of fibrous vegetables is probably one of the most important things you can do for your health. Down at the distal end of your intestines is your colon and it is HERE that those fibrous vegetables will make ALL the DIFFERENCE to your overall health. 

Your GUT health is linked to your immune system and the health of the good bugs down there create numerous chemicals that influence your health. If the microbes in your gut don’t get fed with fibre they can’t produce helpful chemicals and they will start to eat away at the lining of your gut or worse move further up your intestine in search of food. If the microbes eat away at the mucus lining of the gut then the thin wall lining will also follow and little holes will become bigger holes and then things that are not supposed to be in the blood will slip out and the immune system will attack raising inflammation levels. 

So, CARBS are not bad. I want you to get most of your daily carbs from your vegetables, preferably the lower end of the Glycemic Index if you are trying to lose weight, but still include smaller portions of the higher GI veggies like sweet potato. If in doubt, GO GREEN! Spinach, asparagus, celery, broccoli, brussel sprouts etc.  If you still want to include bread and pasta etc. I want you to think of them more as a luxury. Something, of which, you have just a ‘little’. Small and infrequent portions of bread, pasta and rice are fine, but they are high in energy and low in nutrition. So when you choose bread or pasta consider it a once off for the week if you are trying to lose weight. If you’re an athlete, they help to power your performance. 

If I can get you associating carbohydrates with vegetables instead of bread and pasta, my job will be well done. 

What am I supposed to Eat?

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Table Top

 

What am I supposed to eat?

By Amy Patterson-Bocchi
Health Coach, Active Glow Wellness Training and Personal Trainer at ALTA Fitness.

The information out there is SO confusing. There are so many different protocols to follow and seemingly conflicting, contradictory information that it is easy to throw up your hands and say, “It’s too hard! I give up.”

Research is being conducted all the time to uncover more and more nutritional information and how food interacts with our bodies. It’s improving all the time. How do we stay apprised of the latest information? Well, RIGHT HERE of course.

I am passionate about researching nutrition. I’ve completed my Diploma of Nutrition and Dietetics and I am currently studying my Bachelor of Nutrition. This is my life’s blood.

So how can I help you?

It comes down to: What is YOUR goal? AND What works for YOU?

People have many reasons for getting active, performance and sport, weight loss, body building, health and longevity, reversing Metabolic syndrome or Type 2 Diabetes, the list goes on.

And there are equally as many methods of achieving these goals: counting calories, caloric restriction, fasting, Paleo, Atkins, low carb, FODMAP, Keto, high protein. With the right information and awareness any protocol can work for you, but what is RIGHT for you? There are always benefits and potential down sides to anything, so the more you learn about potential pitfalls, the better you will navigate around them.

I can help you find the way that suits you. While encouraging you to make long lasting changes and educate you on best choices.

Please let me introduce myself to you in person on THURSDAY NIGHT the 27th of February at 7pm. I will be talking about HEALTHY LONGEVITY and the steps to achieve it. PENCIL IT IN to your diaries right now. ($25pp) There will be an attendance sheet at the desk. Please sign up and I’ll inform you on the latest scientific information. 

I look forward to seeing you there.

Amy

Sharing our reflections & stories of 2019…

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We believe that taking some time to reflect and recharge is time well spent. This year as JC, Jess, Jack and I were hiking through the Victorian Highlands we started asking each other to say in three words something about the year and this has continued throughout the past few days with things we are grateful for, what we learnt, what we’ve done for the community etc. Listening to Jack and Jess reel off what went well like starting High School, Jack and his camps especially the 4 week Wardolf 100 tour and Jess with all the new sports she tried, new friends, drama, house music and her community award, made me realise one, how wonderful the life of young can sound so simple and two, how we often get bogged down with the day to day forgetting to smell the roses.

My first words were difficult, busy and achievements and I thought “Well that was a bit negative” but then all the other positive things began to flow and how much we had achieved, were grateful for and then all the positives came to light. And also the stories – there is nothing like long hikes and bike rides to have time to talk and we shared many stories of our year because whilst we live with each other every day we don’t always share the stories or backgrounds to something we did. And personally I love a story and said out loud to someone can really bring across the emotions that they hold – in fact sometimes it is quite therapeutic like sharing a story of my mum.

Oh and if your are wondering JC and I decided to do our 3 words for 2019 and they were Family, Achievement & Community.

  • Family – was no. 1 as seeing Jack & Jess thriving at High School taking the new changes on with bravado and enthusiasm, for seeing JC’s family in the US this year was particularly special and my side of the family seeing my nieces and nephews growing up and how proud we are of our own brothers and sisters for what they take on in life and achieve.
  • Achievement – was no. 2 simply because I (Linda) finally finished by PT studies early in 2019 and that is a whole other story! But we also have lots of other achievements including building and being more a part of our community.
  • Community – this year we added in to our nightly dinner routine ‘What did you do for the community today’. This one sentence has led us all to be much more mindful and active in our community. We think that by being asked this question nightly it has raised our awareness from picking up rubbish in the streets, being more active with the Canterbury Community Action Group, doing more for our environment including activities for climate change and last, but by far least, our ALTA community, sharing the benefits of health and fitness and it is not just with you our clients but we have been very active sharing our stories/blogs or doing talks/workshops to the broader community including helping out with Jack & Jess’ sports teams.

Now to a very important part of our lives and 2019 is you, our clients, and how much we appreciate that we can be there to help you be fitter, healthier and happier but also how much we appreciate you sharing your lives with us. We all have our ups and downs, good days, bad days and we all have a story. The stories been shared have come from many a different views or topics some hilarious, others sad, memorable, lots of sports, politics, children/grandchildren, holidays and lots on health! We love sharing what we are passionate about and hearing yours too, as my mum used to say ‘Variety is the spice of life’ and ours I am pleased to say is very spicy!

Now we don’t want to do all the reflecting so we asked our team to share too.

I have absolutely loved my first year working at ALTA. I feel privileged to work with and alongside such passionate individuals who truly care about the health and wellbeing of others. Thank you JC, Linda, the trainers, and all the clients for making me feel welcome. We work hard, laugh and have a lot of fun (especially in our group sessions)! I’ve never felt more at home. Looking forward to the New Year and all the wonderful things it has to offer!  Estelle

I’ve spent the best part of the last two years studying my Diploma of Nutrition and Dietetics and in November I completed it. But my thirst for knowledge is not yet satiated. With hopes of studying further in February next year. In June my family and I went to Bali for a much needed family holiday – two weeks of R&R and hiking volcanoes in the middle of the night. I have lots of laughs with my clients, but in particular working with Joyce has been very rewarding this year. She has proven that she has still got it despite the physical challenges that life has thrown her way. She continues to come every Tuesday for her torture session with her enthusiastic juventarian trainer. On that note, I plan to give a presentation one evening in February on Healthy Longevity. Details to follow. I wish you all a harmonious and adventurous 2020! See you soon. Amy

Lastly, our family saying for this year is “2020 is going to be a great year!’. We are excited and really looking forward to 2020 and helping you all in achieving fitter, healthier and happier lives and continuing to share stories and in 3 words help you to be FITTER, HEALTHIER & HAPPIER.

From JC, Linda and all of the ALTA Fitness Team

Keeping Motivated

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Motivation
Staying motivated when the to do list is 10 pages long, the kids are consuming most of your energy and your not making any headway at work is hard! If we are strategic we can harness motivation and sustain it for a greater amount fo time. Here is a list of things you can try to help you to keep your motivation levels high.  

  • Set your goal and visualise yourself attaining every specific detail of that goal.
    •  For example if your goal is to dead lift 50kg, picture yourself looking at the weight, see yourself gripping the the bar from pinky to thumb, with controlled breathe and lifting the weight with perfect technique and ease. 
  • Make a list of reason why you want to achieve your goal.
    •  Don’t write it in your phone or on your iPad, physically write it down on a piece of paper and in your journal. Connect to your goal manually and create a deeper and more active mental connection. 
  • Break down your goal and set specific goals and targets.
    • Slowly chip away at your goal. Break it down and into small and realistic steps that you know you’ll be able to achieve. 
  • Pre- determine how you will deal with flagging motivation.
    • Don’t be so hard on yourself and allow some room for error and the occasional set back. Put things in perspective and think of some of the hardship your friends, family or even inspirations have gone through in order to reach their goals. Often when you see the bigger picture it is easier to see that while others may ignite you, you are the only one standing in the way of the things you want to accomplish. 

You can do this!