Subscribe by email:

** 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 August edition of the Life Active Newsletter!
 
What's the go with keeping the same old routine? Winter seems like
such an easy time to just stick to what is comfortable, what is
known. We get to stay indoors more often; eat more, and
occasionally feel justified in adding a few extra "warming" foods
to get by (chocolate cake FYI is not a warming food, even with hot
fudge).

The same can happen with your gym schedule if you're not careful
over these few months. Thoughts turn to holidays or time off rather
than on the wonders that can be accomplished whilst everyone else
is out having fudge. 

Yet I put it to you, simply changing something in your lifestyle
routine around now can also start paying big dividends to your
health goals. If you've been nose to the grind or stressed at work,
make sure you're also taking some great quality time (no matter how
short, even a few minutes a day helps) to do something you really
enjoy doing. It's so easy to just get lost in a routine of work,
home, eat, sleep, gym that you forget that life is actually about
the time you're not doing those things. We certainly don't go to
the gym for the sake of going to the gym, nor do we work for the
sake of working. Life is what happens outside the routine that
supports it.
So I encourage you this month - take a moment to work out when you
last made a great change that inspired you to be happy, or
challenged you in a positive way. When did you last do something
you enjoyed? If it's been a while, get to it this week. If you're
stagnating at the gym - come see me (if you're in Sydney!) or
change something around with your weights - maybe even try some
cable work (see below!).

August is about new beginnings! Blue skies! (sort of) Non-alcoholic
cocktails! Make the most of it :)


Andrew


 New Training     Spaces!
Having moved closer to my primary gym I'm happy to announce that I
now have more spaces available for training! 

If you, or someone that you know are:

* Curious about starting training

* Interested in losing fat

* Unsure about the best way to train to meet your goals

* Unsure about your goals at all :)

* Looking to add some muscle

* Interested in freshening up your routine

Either drop me a line, or send this newsletter to them and get them
to contact me.

For existing clients there's an added bonus that if you refer
someone that sticks around you'll get some freebies - just ask me!

At the moment I have available slots during the day and some
evenings Tues - Fri and some on Sat morning / arvo. 


Basic Supplement Guide
There's a large industry that works side-by-side with the fitness,
health and bodybuilding worlds. In some ways it's a lovely
arrangement, a symbiosis, though at other times it seems to be more
of a hindrance.

I speak of course about the supplement industry. And I have a
little knowledge about this, as I was once not the gracious fitness
professional you now read from ... Yea, I was aligned with the dark
side - I was a manager at a few supplement stores over 2 years, the
culmination of many years spent prior haunting my local health food
stores.

In that time, and in my time in tertiary education studying
metabolic biochemistry and nutrition, and in experience, I've
gained a few things here and there. Thus I'd like to share with you
my tips for basic supplementation.

In my opinion, some supplementation is good in today's life. And
probably in tomorrow's life too. Certainly yesterday would have
been handy! Argue with me all you like but I don't think that we
all get the full range of essential nutrients we need each and
every day. There are times when we are likely to slip up, possibly
need more nutrients based on energy and metabolic requirements, or
aren't absorbing them properly from foods we may or may not be
designed to digest.

Enough chit chat though (I'll ramble more elsewhere and elsewhen!)
here's the supplements I recommend to most people, especially gym
goers:

* Protein - the basic building block of muscle, skin, organs,
cells. We need roughly 1.4-2g protein per kilogram of bodyweight
each day, to repair and replenish what we have.

In order to reach that daily total it is often handy to supplement
with a protein powder. 

I suggest a Whey Protein Concentrate or Isolate. I think it's
important to actually like the taste, consistency and mixability. I
quite like unflavoured proteins but that's after 3 years of the
stuff (and 12 years of flavoured ones, yeesh).

Usage - generally, follow serving size on the instructions. You
want about 20-30 g total protein both before and after an hour
weights workout.

It's important not to overdo protein - more than 2g/kg bodyweight
per day is unnecessary. Timing of protein intake is more important
- ensure that you have a little protein every few hours throughout
the day (like 10-15g at breakfast, midmorning, lunch etc) from
natural food sources, and the extra servings before and after
weights workouts.

* Multivitamin - Consider it as insurance for the fact that you
might not just eat perfectly each day. In my mind, I believe it's
easier for your body to discard excess of some essential nutrient
than it is to try and create it if it's lacking. 

There's many arguments that say that a properly balanced diet
should be enough and supplements are expensive urine and blah blah
blah. No. Unless you eat 5+servings organic veggies, organic meats,
fruits and dairy daily you're probably not going to get everything.
There are different strength multis available out there - good ones
are Swisse, GNC Mega Men, Tresos B as they have good levels of B
vitamins and a range of minerals.
* Omega-3 s - these are the latest catchcry in food manufacturing,
being shoved in bread, cereals and milk. Why bother? A fish oil (or
chia/flax/walnut oil if you're anti-fish) capsule or 3 per day will
provide a goodly amount of this essential amino acid.

Generally, an imbalance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids leads to
greater levels of inflammation in the body. Today we get stacks of
omega-6's (from just about all vegetable oils) and relatively few
omega-3s. A better balance between the two brings down
inflammation, which is good for skin, eyes, brain function, weight
management, cholesterol management and blood pressure. Not bad huh?

Able cables

The exercise and movement challenge for the month is to find ways
to utilise the humble cable into your workout. Or exercise
tubing/band if you're short of cables at the gym or home. Or TRX if
you are lucky enough to have a trainer that forces you to hang off
one :)

Cable chest and shoulder exercises can be a safe alternative to
dumbbell or barbell exercises that often put heavy weights overhead
or over chest. In addition, you get an extra "natural" movement of
your shoulder complex when it's not pressed against a bench. This
comes in handy in shoulder rehab or developing strength/speed in a
weak shoulder.


Let me know of some interesting exercises you've used or can
demonstrate using cables in your workout - I'll put some
suggestions in next newsletter!