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Life Active Newsletter - June 2010 -
Sent Thursday, June 3, 2010
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Life Active Newsletter - June 2010 ** You are receiving this text-only version of the newsletter as you cannot view HTML emails. To receive the full email, add info@lifeactive.com.au to your trusted email contacts or choose to accept HTML emails through your email program ** Welcome to the June edition of the Life Active Newsletter! And what an eventful May it was! There was a fitness conference and the delight of torturing .. I mean, trialling new exercises and routines upon both myself, friends and clients... It was the first comfortably cool time to be training outside, with even a few deluges to keep us on our toes (hopefully not on asses from the slippery streets, I may have had an experience like that hmmmmm). And quite frankly, it just was, like all months that pass, the best one to date! Okay annoyingly cheerful banter aside - June sees us Southerners coming into the cooler and darker months as the sun slowly abandons us. Thankfully it is said that Australia really only has 2 months of winter (and 6 of summer, hooray!) so it's only a mild blip on the mercury coming up. Still - enough to warrant my TOP TIPS for staying in shape. For those in the Northern hemisphere - love you all too! - you will just have to keep this list handy for when you start getting the cold again in ... what, 3 months ? :) A word this month on squatting and lunging with (shock horror!) knees travelling past the toes ; TRX is all I want for Christmas (every year for life) ; and of course my top tips for the month. Happy reading! Andrew The suspense is killing me! ... or you. For those who haven't seen me in the last month let me just catch you up on a little device I finally procured at the Filex conference last month. If I could legally marry a TRX suspension trainer - by jiminy I still don't quite think I would (although with all those straps and stirrups .. hmmm). Quite simply, the TRX I believe is the bee's knees when it comes to reaching all those hard-to-train nooks and crannies - and hit the core and stabilising structures hard. For those who haven't seen it, it's basically a seatbelt with handles, that you throw over a high bar or branch. From here, you can perform an alarming number of exercises, targeting just about every muscle in the body. The resistance comes from your bodyweight, angle of lean, and base of support on the ground. I recently recorded a video about using the TRX which I'll post on the website soon. Suffice to say my core has never been stronger, nor the hard-to-target muscles of the shoulders, front of shins and ankles been in better shape! Top Ten Tips to stay in shape this Winter! 1. Buddy up Grab a friend, partner or even work colleague whoâ(TM)s interested in keeping off the bulge binge this winter. Having someone youâ(TM)re accountable to helps keep motivation high, and for those with a competitive streak that extra challenge goes a long way! Just no early morning cancellation texts otherwise you may soon find your exercise buddy trades you in for a zippier more reliable model! 2. Prepare for the cold but take advantage of it Exercise is so much easier in cooler environments â" and winter is certainly some of the coolest environment youâ(TM)ll get all year! Itâ(TM)s actually much more pleasant working out, outdoors during winter and autumn than in midsummer for example, and youâ(TM)ll be able to work harder and burn more calories as body heat dissipates faster (gyms are supposed to be airconditioned for this very reason). The biggest hurdle is usually just getting to the starting line. Remember to layer, wearing your warm stuff up until a good 10 minutes into your exercise â" by that time youâ(TM)re already warm and raring to go. You never really have to go cold if you prepare with the right clothing. 3. Keep your summer schedule Guess what ? Nothing about the number of hours in your week has changed, so why should your summer activity schedule? Just â~cause thereâ(TM)s a little more cool in the air and a little less light at the beginning and end of the day⦠4. Buy a menâ(TM)s fitness or health magazine Something pictorial, possibly even from the opposite hemisphere, with tips on keeping fit and healthy. Keeping positive images of healthy active men and women around works wonders for subconscious motivation â" just make sure you read the articles! 5. Soups and stews Oh yes, thereâ(TM)s nothing better than tucking into a hearty, warming liquid meal at the end of a cold day. Thereâ(TM)s also no better opportunity to load up these slurp-fests with veggies, low-calorie stock, and tender cuts of lean meat. Soups, stews and casseroles done well, with minimal fat and light on the carbs, are the beeâ(TM)s knees when it comes to filling up on what are then very low-calorie dinners â" the ultimate in keeping lean this winter (just no desserts!). 6. Weights keep you warm Ok so this is a bit more of a stretch but bear with me here! Of all exercise types, resistance training (weights) which is intense enough to build muscle, keeps your metabolism up the longest afterwards. Higher metabolism means more calories burned, which goes along with heat generation in your body â" hence ⦠well ok just do some weight training! 7. Great sleep Oh gone are the sleepless toss-and-turn basting-in-your-own-juices summer nights! Hello cool rooms, snuggling and heaters, and plenty of darkness. As I mentioned last newsletter, sleep is best when itâ(TM)s regular, plentiful, in near-complete darkness, and temperature-controlled. Winter is the ultimate time for these elements, so get snoozing! People who are better-rested tend to eat less, exercise harder, are less stressed and feel generally happier through the day. 8. The great indoors Thereâ(TM)s a wealth of reasons to stay indoors when itâ(TM)s cold and wet out (well ok those are the two main reasons) â" but what better way to spend that time than in any number of active indoor activites? Gyms, sports centres, indoor rock climbing, large-scale window-shopping, pilates and yoga are all great sources of indoor, sheltered, and active pursuits. Most have parking too, so there really is no excuse no matter what the weather or temperature outside! 9. It (sometimes) takes two Speaking of indoor activities, thereâ(TM)s one thatâ(TM)s particularly enjoyable especially with all the indoors-ness and snuggling-ness in front of warm fires or under warm doonas. No, itâ(TM)s not crocheting. Sex is a physical activity all in itself â" putting in the effort pays off! (Though please, no vulgarity here). With variations of intensity, duration, frequency and type of activity, you burn off significant calories whilst boosting a whole plethora of mood-enhancing hormones and switching on some key fat-burning ones (like testosterone). 10. Just do it! Not just a slogan, a simple wake-up call â" winter ainâ(TM)t the devastatingly, old-person-freezingly cold, nothing-but-animal-pelt-to-keep-me-warm kind of occasion that our ancestors used to face. They could get away with excuses like âoeitâ(TM)s too cold outâ or âoeif I donâ(TM)t stay in bed Iâ(TM)ll get hypothermiaâ, or âoea saber-tooth tiger ate my footâ. You, with your warm clothes, ample transport and safe, climate controlled home and exercise environments, have none. So nyahhhâ¦