Staying Festive and Fit!

Since it's the festive season I've decided to take a break from the Fitness Programs 101 series. I will continue the rest of the series in the new year.

This weekend most of us will be gorging ourselves with turkey, ham, pudding, eggnog, alcohol, cookies and pies. Some of us may even eat multiple Christmas meals, and then New Years is just around the corner. So basically for a week we will be celebrating by eating, eating and eating more!

So how do we enjoy the festivities without showing evidence around our waistlines? Here are some helpful tips:

• Eat slowly and chew your food properly - Christmas lunches and dinners tend to go on for a little while so eating slowly and chewing your food properly will aid digestion and prevent you from overeating.
• Walk around and mingle - we tend to sit or sleep after a big meal so why not walk around, mingle and catch up with those you haven't seen in a while.
• Don't give into peer pressure - enjoy your food and drink but follow the rules YOU have set for yourself and don't feel pressured to follow other's bad habits.
• Keep yourself hydrated - drink plenty of water, this will help to dilute the alcohol and prevent you from overeating.
• Don't stand next to the food or drink - if you are having a buffet style meal or pre-dinner snacks, make sure to stand far away from the food tables. You will be more likely to eat/drink something if it is near you.
• Try alternatives - if you are helping to cook for Christmas, try and use healthier alternatives. Eg. use olive oil instead of butter, herbs and spices to flavour instead of salt, try fresh fruit or brown sugar instead of white sugar.
• Stick to your routine - just because you are on holidays from work doesn't mean you should take a holiday from exercising!

I want to thank each and every one of you for reading and supporting my blog in 2011. You are the reason I write these articles and I hope you are inspired to make a healthy change to your life.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!!!

See you in the new year!

JW

Fitness Programs 101 series: CrossFit

Why do we exercise? To get fitter, stronger and faster. But proficiency in one area usually means sacrificing another. For example: long distance runners focus on cardio endurance to develop super lean bodies enabling them to run for miles - this is achieved at the cost of bulking up and building explosive power; weightlifters on the other hand, focus on bulking up to develop maximum strength and power but at what cost - decreased cardio endurance, flexibility and agility.

Muscular and powerful physique of a sprinter VS. long lean build of a marathon runner

SO...WHAT IS CROSSFIT?

Well what if you could achieve all of the above and more without having to compromise? This is where CrossFit comes in. CrossFit brings to life the idea that a healthy, fit person should be proficient in each of the ten general physical skills:

1. Cardiorespiratory endurance

2. Stamina

3. Strength

4. Flexibility

5. Power

6. Speed

7. Agility

8. Balance

9. Coordination

10. Accuracy

A BIT OF BACKGROUND

In the 1970s former US gymnast, Greg Glassman first came up with idea after observing the exercises bodybuilders performed made them bigger but NOT more effective. Combining his knowledge of weight-lifting with his experience in gymnastics, Greg created a back-to-basics style program designed to prepare for any physical contingency - to prepare for the unknown as well as the unknowable.

Greg Glassman talking about his intent of CrossFit:

"CrossFit is in large part derived from several simple observations garnered through hanging out with athletes for thirty years and willingness, if not eagerness, to experiment coupled with a total disregard for conventional wisdom. Let me share some of the more formative of these observations:

1. Gymnasts learn new sports faster than other athletes.
2. Olympic lifters can apply more useful power to more activities than other athletes.
3. Powerlifters are stronger than other athletes.
4. Sprinters can match the cardiovascular performance of endurance athletes even at extended efforts.
5. Endurance athletes are woefully lacking in total physical capacity.
6. With high carb diets you either get fat or weak.
7. Bodybuilders can't punch, jump, run, or throw like athletes can.
8. Segmenting training efforts delivers a segmented capacity.

9. Optimizing physical capacity requires training at unsustainable intensities.
10. The world's most successful athletes and coaches rely on exercise science the way deer hunters

rely on the accordion."

CrossFit has developed somewhat of a cult following with their own communities, culture and ethos. In 2007 CrossFit introduced the sport of fitness to the world with the inaugural CrossFit games, held in California. "In implementation, CrossFit is, quite simply, a sport — the “sport of fitness.” We’ve learned that harnessing the natural camaraderie, competition, and fun of sport or game yields an intensity that cannot be matched by other means." Since the very first Games, the number of competitors has increased exponentially as well as the number of countries represented.

CrossFit is the fitness program of choice for many police academies, firefighters, military special ops and professional sporting organisations. WHY? Because it delivers undisputed, tangible results. CrossFit is NOT just for the physically elite, it is designed for ANYONE and EVERYONE from children to grandparents.

CrossFit requires total commitment, unbreakable willpower and a can-do attitude; and at the end of the day all the blood, sweat and tears will transform you into a powerful, athletic machine!

JW

References

• CrossFit - www.crossfit.com

Fitness Programs 101 series: Les Mills

If you've ever been to a gym, you've probably have heard of Les Mills classes. Body Pump, Body Attack or RPM sound familiar?

A BIT OF BACKGROUND

Leslie Mills is a retired gold medal Olympian and Commonwealth Games athlete from New Zealand. In 1968 Les and his wife, Colleen, also a track and field athlete, opened their very first establishment, a small gymnasium in Auckland. The apples did not fall far from the tree with both their children, Phillip and Donna becoming professional track and field athletes.

Left to right: Phillip Mills, Dr Jackie Mills MD (Phillip's wife), Colleen Mills, Les Mills

In the 1980s Phillip Mills started to develop group fitness programs and founded the Les Mills International brand in 1997. Les Mills has revolutionised group fitness and is now taught at more than 13,000 clubs worldwide in 75 countries.

The reason why gym goers have embraced the Les Mills classes is that there is something for EVERYONE. With powerful music and motivating instructors no matter what fitness level or experience, there is a class for you!

TYPES OF LES MILLS CLASSES

BODY PUMP™ - "Lift way beyond your limits."

The original barbell class that shapes, tones and strengthens your entire body by challenging all of your major muscle groups. The key is THE REP EFFECT™, a breakthrough in fitness training focusing on high repetition movements with low weight loads. This will help achieve strength and introduce lean body muscle conditioning.

* 60mins

* moderate to high intensity

* average of 530 calories burned

BODY ATTACK™ - "Get the kind of legs shorts want to wear."

A sports-inspired cardio workout for building strength and stamina. This high-energy interval training class combines athletic aerobic movements with strength and stabilisation exercises. Not for the faint hearted!

* 55mins

* high intensity

* average of 735 calories burned

BODY STEP™ - "I choose to step it up."

An energising step workout using a height-adjustable step and simple movements on, over and around the step. Cardio blocks push fat burning systems into high gear followed by muscle conditioning tracks that shape and tone your body.

* 55mins

* moderate to high intensity

* average of 620 calories burned

BODY COMBAT™ - "Fitness is a battle, welcome to the front line."

A fiercely energetic cardio program inspired by martial arts, drawing from a wide array of disciplines such as karate, boxing, taekwondo, tai chi and muay thai. You will strike, punch, kick and kata your way to superior cardio fitness.

* 55mins

* high intensity

* average of 737 calories burned

BODY BALANCE™ - "Restore balance to your world."

A combination of Yoga, Tai Chi and Pilates that builds flexibility and strength and leaves you feeling centered and calm. Controlled breathing, concentration and a carefully structured series of stretches, moves and poses to music create a holistic workout that brings the body into a state of harmony and balance.

* 55mins

* low intensity

* average of 390 calories burned

BODY VIVE™ - Have a wise head on a hot body."

A low-impact, whole body group fitness workout that uses VIVE™ balls, VIVE™ tubes and body weight to boost fitness and core strength.

* 55mins

* low to moderate intensity

* average of 550 calories burned

BODY JAM™ - "Trigger a dance explosion."

A cardio workout where you are free to enjoy the sensation of dance. An addictive fusion of the latest dance styles and hottest new sounds puts the emphasis as much on having fun as on breaking a sweat.

* 55mins

* moderate intensity

* average of 530 calories burned

RPM™ - "Pedal to the metal."

An indoor cycling workout where you ride to the rhythm of powerful music through hills, flats, mountain peaks, time trials, and interval training.

* 45mins

* moderate to high intensity

* average of 675 calories burned

SH'BAM™ - "Dance it out."

A dance workout set to chart-topping hits heard in the hottest nightclubs around the world, familiar classics remixed and modernised Latin beats, SH’BAM™ is the ultimate fun and sociable way to exercise.

* 45mins

* moderate intensity

* average of 506 calories burned

CXWORX™ - "Love doesn't need handles."

The newest addition to the Les Mills family is a short, sharp workout that hones in on the torso and sling muscles that connect your upper body to your lower body improving functional strength and assisting in injury prevention. Based on cutting-edged scientific research, this is a revolutionary core training program.

* 30mins

* moderate to high intensity

* average of 230 calories burned

I have personally tried seven of the ten classes (Pump, Attack, Step, Balance, Jam, RPM, Combat) and look forward to trying CXWORX™ when it launches at my gym next week.

So the next time you're at the gym, why not give Les Mills a go?

JW

References

• Les Mills - www.lesmills.com

Fitness Programs 101

Back in the 1970s and 80s when the fitness phenomenon first took off (with some help from Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons), fitness fanatics had the option to jazzercise, step or join in an aerobics class. Fast forward thirty to forty years and the fitness boom has seriously exploded.

Recently I've had a couple of conversations with people about the myriad of fitness programs out there on the market - from classes offered at gyms to outdoor training and at home workouts. A lot of people find it a daunting and confusing task trying to work out which program is best suited to them.

So to help you out, over the next couple of months I'll go through some of the programs, which you may or may not have heard about. Here's a preview of what's to come: Les Mills, Spin, CrossFit, P90X, Boot Camp, Yoga, Pilates and Zumba.

Keep an eye out!

JW

Lemonade NOT Apple Juice

This is not a promotion for lemonade as a drink of choice over apple juice. So why, you may be wondering am I suggesting lemonade NOT apple juice? Well you will just have to keep reading to find out!

I was watching an episode of 'The Doctors' recently when Jillian Michaels, Biggest Loser trainer and health and wellness expert, said something that was both disgusting yet educating. In regards to hydration, Jillian commented that "You want your pee to look like lemonade NOT apple juice".

I guess most of us know this quite well but how many actually adhere to it?

From L to R: Dr Lisa Masterson, Dr Andrew Ordon, Dr Travis Stork, Jillian Michaels, Dr Jim Sears, Dr Wendy Walsh

We all know that to keep our bodies healthy we should drink water - some say 2L a day (8 glasses), others say drink 250ml for every 10kg of body weight. But how much should we actually be drinking?

And while some may argue the fact that drinking coffee, alcohol, tea, juice or soda should count towards your daily water consumption - IT DOESN'T!!! Yes, all those products do contain water but they also contain sugar, additives, caffeine, etc. The best way to keep hydrated is to drink water in its purest form.

A really good way to ensure you keep hydrated is to keep a bottle of water in your bag, on your desk and in your car. If you have water close to you, you are probably more likely to drink it!

So back to the ideal quantity of water, there is no magic amount. But it is a good idea to aim for approximately 2L a day, give or take, depending on your size. If you are participating in physical activities or the weather is hot, increase the amount of water you are drinking. Every time you go to the toilet, take a quick look at the colour of your pee. If it looks more like lemonade then you're doing great, but if it looks more like apple juice then DRINK UP ASAP!!!

So remember, lemonade NOT apple juice!

JW

Trick or Treat

Halloween may have come and gone this year but there is still plenty of trick or treating going on - in the supermarket, that is.

Food is marketed in a way which makes it appear healthy and nutritious when in fact it is quite the opposite.

Take this product for example:

This is a box of Kellogg's Rice Krispies (known as Rice Bubbles in Australia and NZ). What information do you think they are trying to get across? The main messages on this box are:

• helps support your child's immunity
• 25% daily value of antioxidants & nutrients (Vitamins A, B, C & E)
• made from rice

Now let's dig deeper and see what they are NOT trying to get across:

• the actual rice crisps are made of rice and a sugar paste
• no scientific evidence of actually supporting children's immunity
• first 4 ingredients are: rice (white rice, a high GI product), sugar, salt, malt flavouring
• simple carbohydrates which do not provide sustainable energy
• highly processed

Rice Krispies are just one example of misleading advertising particularly targeted at children and mothers.

Tricks NOT Treats

There are plenty of products on the supermarket shelves labelled as 99% fat free. This is great news for those who are looking to lose a few pounds - but is it really? Yes it may be 99% fat free but how about sugar content, salt and preservatives? Usually a product's nutritional claim to fame is also a cover for something else. So beware!

If that wasn't confusing enough, basic ingredients such as fats, sugar and sodium have multiple names. I guess criminals are not the only ones who go by aliases.

Aliases of fat: Saturated – beef fat, butter fat, shortening, coconut, coconut oil, copha, cream, dripping, lard, sour cream, palm oil; Monounsaturated – canola, olive oils, margarines, peanut oil, avocado, nuts; Polyunsaturated – seeds, sesame, sunflower, safflower, corn, soya bean, grape seed oils, mayonnaise, margarines, fish oils

Aliases of sugar: honey, sucrose, maltose, lactose, fructose, dextrose, glucose, malt, glucose syrup, corn syrup, monosaccharides, xylitol, polysaccarides, manitol, sorbitol, ‘carbohydrates modified’, molasses, disaccharides

Aliases of sodium: salt, monosodium glutamate, meat extract, yeast extract, hydrolysed vegetable protein, meat protein, stock, vegetable salt, baking soda, baking powder

The most nutritious foods are the ones that do not come with a label - these are foods that come straight from the ground or have a mother. They do not need fancy labelling or a catchy slogan, they speak for themselves. But in this day and age convenience seems to take priority.

So try and spend a little extra time at the supermarket and make sure you know what you are ACTUALLY buying and not what the manufacturers want you to think you are buying!

JW

Finding the One

A healthy relationship requires:

• honesty
• effective communication
• commitment
• openness
• goal setting
• compromise

And this is EXACTLY what is needed when finding a compatible personal trainer.

A trainer is NOT just someone who prescribes an exercise program for you. They are there to educate, inform, train, encourage and support you.

In my professional experience, I have come across a LOT of personal trainers. Some good, some bad, some great and some mediocre.

But what separates the good from the bad, the mediocre from the great is just one thing - a genuine desire to make a real difference in someone's life. And who better epitomises this than Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper - the original Biggest Loser USA trainers. They have different training styles but at the end of the day it's their passion and genuine interest in helping people improve their health and live a higher quality life that makes them leaders in the industry.

And just like any relationship, you have to go through some bad ones before you find a good one.

Here are some pointers on what to look for in an ideal trainer:

• good knowledge of health and exercise
• enthusiasm for their job
• passion for helping others
• helps you to establish realistic goals and ways to achieve them
• keeps you accountable
• gives you their undivided attention
• knows when to push you and when to hold back
• practices what they preach
• able to do more than count repetitions

If you do have a personal trainer, make the most of them. You're probably spending a good $60 an hour so make them earn their coin. Ask questions about the exercises you are doing and why you are doing them? Ask about injuries and prevention?

The best trainers are not necessarily those who are the most attractive or have the biggest muscles - it's the ones who get down and help you with the exercise, correct your form, provide encouraging words during those final, torturous reps and show a real interest in YOU. They are the real gems and the ones who are paving the way for a healthier world.

JW