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