This week JC has found a new toy for our studio – the slide board. It is a great work out but not just that it is about moving laterally as more often than not we just move forwards and backwards and this movement is not used nearly enough. By gaining more strength and mobility in this lateral movement pattern it can help us to prevent from twisting your ankle on that stone or slipping in the shower. Of course you don’t need to do this intensive exercise – lunging from side to side is as important and beneficial.

This side to side motion that works on our thighs adductors and abductors as well as your glutes is a great workout and will get your cardio up as well.

Love it or hate it, the sled has many benefits. The pushing of the sled is heavy and after even a short period of time like 10-20 seconds will give you the same benefits of doing a 20 second sprint plus doing pushups and a plank all at the same time. We’ve put together a little video so you can review the technique and JC talks about more of the benefits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ziSS0jCrRs

Hello, it’s Lisa here – I am delighted to be writing ALTA Fitness’ blog this week.

With the winter weather starting to set in it brings a lack of sunshine, fresh air and vitamin D. This can leave us feeling a little less joyous than usual.

The Definition of Joy – a feeling of great pleasure or happiness;

• We can easily lack the feeling of “joyfulness” in our lives as we become mature adults with responsibilities, career and family commitments etc. Sometimes we fail to realise there is not much “joy”, however it is a very important emotion to feel regularly.
• When was the last time you felt joy? Think back to a time in your life when you felt complete and utter joy. Now close your eyes and visualise what brought you that incredibly joyous feeling. Literally relive it and feel the emotion again. Now that you have felt it and reconnected with it, focus on creating more of it in your life.
• What is it that brings you joy? It will be unique for everyone, however I aim to find joy in the ordinary things, as these are the big things in my eyes. Personally, a new car would not bring me joy, although the sound of my childrens’ laughter most certainly does. Alternatively, cooking a meal (with love) that my family devours also brings me great joy (this comes from my Maltese heritage as feeding and sharing with those you love is a big part of my Maltese culture).
• Nothing beats that post-exercise feeling. Exercise, happiness and endorphin production go hand in hand. The studio is warm and welcoming, especially when it is cold and wet outside and it feels amazing to get our blood pumping and our bodies moving and feeling great.

Find your joy, create it, acknowledge it, feel it, embrace it and love it.

“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day”. Henri J. M. Nouwen.

Saturday 24th June 10am – 5pm
Join us at ALTA Fitness to Celebrate our 1st Birthday
Free Activities, 10 min Massages and Spot Prizes to be won!

• 10.00am  Free 60 min Circuit Group Session
• 10-12pm  Louise McIlwraith from Trucore Wellness will be available for discussion around how to detox your body through eating better & wholefood samples to try
• 11.00am  Free 30 min Get Ski Fit Session
• 11.30am  Welcome, come and learn more about ALTA Fitness 
• 12.00pm  Free 30 min Seniors Circuit Session
• 12.30pm  A talk with Dr Peter Johnston from Perfect Human Food & Healthy Snacks to sample
• 1.30pm    Free 60min Boxing for Fitness
• 2.30pm    Free 45min Rehab Workshop with Balwyn Sports Physio, Sexton Chiropractic & ALTA Fitness
• 3.30pm    Free 15 min Health & Fitness Assessments

Questions, RSVP & Bookings: contact@altafitness.com.au

Phone: 9077 8946

Mindfulness
This weeks blog is written by Lisa one of our trainers and I just love how she makes mindfulness part of her everyday life – enjoy how she implements mindfulness into her world!

With technology making us so contactable in every way (mobile phone, email, facebook etc) we are so connected to those far from us, however it can come at a cost. It can make us distant or distracted from those close and most important to us.

The definition of mindfulness in my eyes is being present in the moment, completely focused on what you are doing without distraction or thoughts elsewhere and engaging your senses whilst doing so. Completely experiencing the moment for what it is. Also, being conscious of your thoughts and feelings. What emotion/s are you feeling inside? What can you see? What are you touching and how does it feel? What can you smell or taste?

I try to incorporate mindfulness every day, wherever I can and it is especially important to me that I am present for my family and children. It is important to connect and give them the attention they deserve.

When I go out with a friend for example, I will not answer my phone or text messages unless it is my children’s school calling (in case of emergency!). My friend will have my full attention.

Being a busy working mum means I do have limited time, however I prioritise what “must” be done each day ie get the kids to school, cook dinner, work, after school activities and I realise that amongst all the things that must be done is a tiny bit of “me” time, which is always quiet time, because without it I will become burnt out and exhausted. It is important to prioritise time for rest before your body slows you down with unwanted illnesses.

Yesterday when I woke I was feeling completely drained. I was tired and lacking energy. I had had a busy few days and I was really feeling it. I went to a yoga class (which always completely changes my energy) and as the sun was shining I decided to embrace the moment and take my dog Tai for a walk. I love being connected to nature. Whilst walking I could feel the sun shining on my skin. It felt glorious! Warming my bones as well as my soul. I saw a little lizard who was also basking in the sun dart across a rock and into hiding as I approached. I took in the smell of the freshly cut grass. I listened to the birds chirping in the trees and in the distance, I could also hear the sounds of the cars on the freeway nearby, reminding me that I was so thankful to be having a SLOW morning, because that is exactly what I needed to enable me to handle anything life throws at me this week.

Mindfulness is also being able to accept the moment for whatever it is, without trying to change it or control it. When dealing with a stressful or chaotic situation – STOP!

• STOP;
• TAKE three deep breaths right into the bottom of your belly, then smile;
• OBSERVE (what do you see); and lastly
• PROCEED with loving kindness!!!

Some of the health benefits of mindfulness include:

• Decreased stress levels;
• Getting to know yourself and who you truly are;
• Improved cognitive function and concentration;
• Changes in the brain, helping you to process pain and emotions in a more objective way;
• Increased body awareness, self-awareness, regulation of emotion and regulation of attention; and
• It helps you to be more compassionate.

If you haven’t tried mindfulness before, I urge you to give it a go. Small steps towards incorporating more of it into your everyday life.

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change” – Dr Wayne W. Dyer.

Why take the stairs? Research has shown that stair climbing alongside walking are the two main day to day functions most associated with improving health. It improves your cardiovascular system and officially is classified as ‘vigourous’ exercise and can burn more calories than jogging. Four top reasons are,

1. Free workout – no equipment needed and contributes to your daily workout

2. Heart health improvement – it can lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol levels just as a start

3. Longer life – it adds more years to your life and reduces the risk of injury as it increases your muscle strength and power

4. Time and energy saver – reduce power consumption and during peak times sometimes it’s quicker to take the stairs

JC recently attended an intensive 2 day workshop with Joseph McClendon III, 62 years young, renowned neuro psychologist and motivational speaker (& musician). The workshop was about communication – how you present yourself and deliver your message whether it be to one person or a thousand people.

The reason JC did the workshop was he was wanting to find a better way to communicate with our clients so that he can help to deliver the messages around health in a way that he could cater to everybody’s listening and learning styles.  As you know we hear, see and feel differently. It may be that your preferred learning style is either auditory, visual or kinaesthetic (movement) (VAK), or it may be a blend. This dominant style defines the best way for a person to learn new information by filtering what is to be learned.

The key learning JC received from doing the course was how to interact better with our clients by being able to better determine how they take in information and putting into practice has reaped many benefits for both JC and our clients – Happy Days!

 

 

We have a little display on how much sugar is in some popular drinks and products and it has created lots of discussion. Some people are surprised by how much or little is in something but its more like wow I didn’t know that Gatorade had so much sugar in it! Or wow I can eat a packet of Tim Tams in a day or two and that is how much sugar I’m consuming! And then we have the healthier alternatives that yes may contain sugar but we think it’s all about choices depending on your goals. It’s about minimising as much added sugars as possible, eat wholesome, made from scratch foods with good, organic ingredients. This is what we advise our clients – look at your diet, use a food diary, show us and we can help give you some guidance or refer you to specialists to get you on the right track.

All we ask of you is to really consider what you are eating as the Sugar Addiction cycle is perpetual – it doesn’t stop unless you get off the wagon.

1 – You eat sugar and like it. 

2 – Blood sugar levels spike, dopamine is released in the brain equalling addiction. 

3 – Blood Sugar levels fall rapidly – High insulin levels cause immediate fat storage – the body craves the lost sugar ‘High’.

4 – Hunger and Cravings from low blood sugar levels occur and thus the cycle begins again!

When reading labels a quick measure is that for every 4-5g sugar = 1 teaspoon of sugar.

Eat for Health, an Australian Government site gives a great example on how to read labels.