I am getting a little annoyed at the Brisbane City Council and other Brisbane park authorities who seem to have a bee in their bonnet about personal trainers training their clients in some popular parks.

Not only now do we have to pay a monthly permit to use popular parklands but they are hot on my heels at Baby Boot Camp saying we are conducting unlawful activity in the parklands at New Farm. Wanting to know what times we will be in and out of the venues, with what equipment, group numbers and where we are going to be within the parklands at all times.

At Kangaroo Point I have been instructed to take down my ring rows and crank it system that I have been hanging over a very sturdy metal beam. They said to me that we could pull it over. Impossible…you could hang 600 people off it before it moved. This is such a shame as I actually thought it was an ingenious structure that was purpose built for fitness trainers.

We’ve been instructed to move off stairs in particular parklands and that we can’t use them to run up and down.

At a park in Moorooka they instructed one of my trainers to move out of the rotunda there. She was told she could be on the grassed area 20 metres away but not in the rotunda.

At New Farm no exercise can be done in the rotunda area as it is heritage listed. I understand that they don’t want us standing on the painted seats, but we can’t even box in there, or use it as a bit of shelter during wet weather. I have had to argue the point about holding seminars / meet and greets in the rotunda area for Baby Boot Camp, this they have allowed so long as we are seated and not doing any exercise.

The piazza at Southbank is also off limits. During wet weather we used to transfer our mums & bubs over to the piazza but now they are roping it off. I can understand they do get events, but if it is not being used for events then why can’t they allow members of the community to use it? No doubt it has something to do with public liability as they probably don’t want anyone slipping over.

This is the tip of the iceberg of recent “run ins” all within the space of 2 months.

It appears as though parklands in Brisbane are just for viewing purposes & walking only these days.

I have explained to council representatives that this is a shame as my business is simply trying to get people moving and that we do not operate in gyms as many people prefer the great outdoors and that we are simply trying to offer our clients interesting and creative workouts using our natural surrounds.

The services we offer at MissFit should be encouraged not discouraged by the council. We are not causing a nuisance and we always leave the parklands in a perfect condition. Members of the public are always interested in our Baby Boot Camp classes, as are tourists to Brisbane. I am not going to let these recent “run ins” scare me off, but instead I am going to battle on in 2012 and continue to offer an outdoor fitness solution to women in Brisbane.

MissFit Personal Trainers Brisbane

This particular client made the right decision. Her alarm went off, it was time to get up and get moving and come to training. She contemplated how easy it would be to just lie in bed and sleep in, but then she reminded herself how great she felt after last week’s session. Her decision had to be made then and there, to sleep or to train. Fortunately she chose the latter, and hauled herself up for training. At the end of the session when she gave me a high 5, she was pleased that she made the decision to come and get the work done.

When I talk about “no negotiation with exercise and food” this is what I mean.

1. Do you ever find yourself hitting the snooze button and saying to yourself I won’t go to training this morning, I’ll go after work. 5pm rolls around, you’re stuck at work and have to stay back & therefore it just gets too late to go to training. You decide not to go and therefore you don’t complete your planned workout. My suggestion, don’t snooze! Turn the lights on!  You won’t go back to sleep if the lights are on. Don’t allow yourself a split second to negotiate whether you will go or not. Instead start bouncing out of bed immediately and go and get the work done.

2. Do you ever find yourself saying, I’ll have this extra slice of pizza now, and what I’ll do is skip dinner tonight to make up for the fact that I’m eating more now. 8pm rolls around, you’re starting to get hungry, but it’s too late to cook a proper meal and you’re tired.  You re-neg on this, and decide to make something quick and have a piece of toast and eggs which doesn’t really fill you up so you have a cadbury chocolate too. My suggestion, if you choose to consume extra calories don’t negotiate with or sacrifice your normal meals. Chances are you will still eat, and potentially make a poor decision. If you consume extra food, don’t beat yourself up about it, acknowledge it and get back on track tomorrow.

MissFit Personal Trainers Brisbane

It always excites me when clients say they had fun at training. To know that the group of ladies who come to session enjoy the workouts and feel the benefits from the workout both in a physical and mental state means a lot.

I have a psychologist friend who said to me recently that the single biggest reason why people drop out of doing regular exercise is that they don’t enjoy it.

I have thought heaps about this over the last few weeks & looking back on past clients, the ones who have said their goal was purely weight loss have been the ones who have stopped exercising completely . Having weight loss as their only goal for doing exercise wasn’t a big enough reason to see them stay on long term. I am not belittling the desire to want to lose weight at all, but I am suggesting that if you aren’t equally as impressed with the mood boost, sense of strength and self confidence that exercise brings then you might be missing out.

Think about how exercise makes you feel after. Do you have clarity of thought at work? Do you feel more equipped to handle life’s challenges? Do you have more creative thoughts to offer? Do you have the energy to execute them better? Have you answered YES to all of these questions? If so then you are exercising for some really good reasons. I am a strong believer in getting tough upstairs first and then the body will follow.

So go out today and in the New Year and find an exercise you really love. Whether that be my MissFit PT sessions, gym, tennis, a team sport and do more of it. Make it a consistent part of your life, not because it is a chore and you’ve been told to do it, but because you enjoy it.

-MissFit Personal Trainer Brisbane

My two children are now 4 years old and 18 months and I can tell you that when I turn up for tuckshop duty next year at Luke’s school I want to do it without the stereotypical tuckshop arms.

An area on the female body that is quite often forgotten about, (when it comes to fitness training) but certainly an area where flab tends to gravitate to is the back of the arms. Even skinny people can have wobbly back of arms, that’s why it’s important you target this area (triceps) with some specific strength training exercises.

My personal favourite tricep exercises are:

1. Tricep Dips

2. Close grip tricep pushups

3. Tricep overhead extensions

4. Skullcrushers

5. Tricep Kickbacks

6. And boxing is great for your complete arm area. Plus the cardio aspect is a bonus!

At MissFit’s training sessions tricep work is done at every session. We understand that women want to feel confident with their arms and be able to wear strapless dresses, tanks and singlets in this hot climate.

Variety with your training is key. You need to be mixing up the exercises and challenging those muscles in a different fashion in order to get great overall shapre and definition.

Much of the lifting we do in daily life uses the front of the arms (biceps) so to really get into the back of arms and tone those triceps up you need to start dipping it out at every available opportunity. All you need is a park bench to get started and the will and desire to just do it.

‘Til Next Time,

-MissFit

Personal Trainer Brisbane

1. Don’t try to lose weight during Christmas.

Instead set a goal of trying to maintain your present weight. This way, you have a realistic goal and any weight loss you may have will be a bonus. A study once showed that the average Australian gains between 1-3 kgs over the Christmas break, so by just maintaining your weight you will still be ahead of the game. You can allow yourself to occasionally indulge, but just don’t over the top. In fact, treat yourself if you DO meet your goal successfully – of course, this is not to be your favourite food but a massage/facial or new outfit from the traditional post Christmas sales. Go for it – you deserve it.

2. Pay attention to how quickly you eat and exactly what you eat and drink at parties.

Chew your food slowly and focus on your companions and the social aspect of each event. Be sure to drink a tall of glass of water after your meal to aid with the digestion.

3. Remember that alcohol is packed with calories.

A cocktail can contain as many as 300 – 500 calories or more. If you are going to drink, make sure you do in moderation and select only those drinks that are lower in calories. Wine spritzers (half dry white wine, half soda water), or half nip of spirits with diet softdrink/soda water will probably cause the least amount of damage to your daily calorie count. Make sure you drink plenty of water too – this will slow your rate of drinking and decrease your appetite and hangover too! If you do drink more alcohol than you intended and should you be on any of the formulations with me from the Natural Way, take extra drops of De-Extra the next day to help your liver recover from the beating it received the night before.

4. Offer to bring a dish to Christmas parties that you know is healthy.

This way you will know there will be at least one safe item.

5. Make the effort to continue a regular exercise programme.

Find a family member or a friend to help you keep yourself on track. If you have one, strap a Pedometer to your waist and get our and walk! Aim for at least 2 -3 thirty minute sessions per week, more if you can manage it (remember a little bit is better than none). Every calorie you burn off is one less stored in your fat cells.

6 Never go to a party or event on any empty stomach.

Before going out, snack on protein, like chicken as protein satisfies and keeps you feeling fuller for longer and will help you eat less. Or eat a piece of fruit before the party.

7. Keep an eye on your portion sizes.

In the heat of Christmas celebrations, portion sizes can be quite excessive (especially if judging under

influence of alcohol). Try to keep some perspective as to what a regular serve of food is – think about the

way your dinner plate looks when you are at home.

8. Don’t let a hectic Christmas schedule force you to eat fast food.

Prepare and freeze several quick, healthy meals. That way, you have an option other than high fat, fast-food meals.

9. Avoid tasting while cooking.

You will be appalled at how quickly the calories add up. Get a family member to taste the food for you.

10. Have the right attitude.

If you go into Christmas with the idea that you will just eat everything you possibly can and worry about it in January then you will bitterly regret it when Christmas is over. Decide to enjoy the festive season without going overboard with all the goodies on offer. Choose the things you particularly like and say no to anything which you are really not bothered about.

11. Put it away.

If you have lots of extra treats at home for guests, get them out when people come and put them away when they go home. Out of sight, out of mind will help a little but if those treats do start calling your name from the cupboard, distract yourself by getting on the phone or go for a walk or something else to distract your attention away from temptation.

12. Don’t Stress.

If you feel overwhelmed about your busy social calendar and Christmas shopping, don’t let your excessive stress be the cause of your comfort eating. Drink a glass of water instead of going for the food, wait a few minutes and you will probably find you weren’t hungry anyway, just emotionally eating.

Good luck and I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Christmas!

This article has been contributed by our friends

at WhollyFit and The Natural Way

There are other informative bits on their website at www.whollyfit.com.au

MORNING TEA - Crunchy Apple & Walnut Salad

1 Green apple chopped, 150gm of weight watchers cottage cheese, 30 grams of walnuts (smashed)

LUNCHTIME - TUNA & COUS COUS SALAD

A large handful of broccoli, ½  a carrot – grated, ¼ Red capsicum diced, 1 tomato diced, 1 large handful of mixed green leaves, ¼ of a cup of cous cous, 1 x 95g tin of sirena tuna- lite chilli.

AFTERNOON TEA - Roasted Sweet Potato & Fetta Salad 150gm roasted sweet potato, 30gm low fat fetta, Slices of salad onion, Handful baby spinach, A few olives

There isn’t any single anti aging exercise or workout schedule that will keep you looking and feeling younger for longer. Rather, the message that most health professionals are trying to tell us all is that regular exercise of any kind is the key to feeling young, lowering the risk of many diseases, avoiding weight gain, and maintaining physical ability into the senior years. When designing an anti aging strategy at any stage of life, exercise is one of two vital components. The other is a healthy diet.

Lack of exercise and aging go hand in hand. If you are inactive, you will lose muscle tone and strength, your cardiovascular fitness will suffer, and you will find yourself less able to participate in sports or do other things you used to enjoy. Your posture will likely suffer as muscles deteriorate, and you will begin to suffer from back pain. Your blood pressure may start to rise. A sedentary lifestyle can result in myriad different physical problems. Even people who are quite young can seem prematurely old if they suffer from these effects of inactivity - from this perspective, any activity is anti aging exercise.

As well, you can exercise slow aging and lower your risk of disease at the same time. Medical research tells us that regular physical activity lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease and some cancers. Many diseases associated with growing older can be avoided, controlled or even eliminated with regular exercise and aging apparently reversed - blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol can all come down to healthy levels. Anti aging exercise for these medical problems can be as simple as a brisk twenty minute walk every day. Strength training is also often recommended for arthritis, bone density, and circulation problems.

While you are concentrating on anti aging exercise, you’ll be dealing with another potential problem: the tendency to gain weight as you grow older. It’s a fact that people tend to gain weight once they reach middle age. It’s a slow conversion of muscle mass to fat storage due to lower activity levels, a slowing of the metabolism, and hormonal changes. Decreased exercise and aging seem to irrevocably result in fat storage. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Keep up your activity levels by engaging in sport, walking, biking, swimming or some other regular exercise. Even gardening, house cleaning, and trips to the store can be opportunities to get exercise. You’ll stay trim and avoid health problems at the same time.

Can exercise slow aging? Clearly it can, and it’s a long lasting benefit. Engage in sports, active leisure time activities, regular work outs or whatever interests you - it’s all anti aging exercise. And not only will you fell better now but you will be investing in a healthy and physically able old age. Your bones will remain strong, your strength levels will stay up, your joints will stay flexible, and you outlook will be positive. Get regular exercise and aging will seem like a normal comfortable process. Not only can exercise slow aging - it can improve your health and emotional well being in so many ways.

As you may already know, fat loss can be quite a tricky subject. Along with a solid diet and plenty of rest, a cardio routine is necessary in order to achieve your goals. However, many cardio routines simply do not work. Each individual is different, so a fat loss program that will work for one may not work for another. This being said, there happens to be an exercise strategy that seems to be the most effective way for any individual to lose weight.

Fat loss interval training, or most commonly known as high intensity interval training, is a unique technique that is proven to be more effective at burning fat than the lower intensity type work outs. This method entails several periods of intense exercise with a lower intensity “recovery” phase in between each of these periods. For instance, a runner would begin with a jog for about 60 seconds, then the jog would turn into a 30 second maximum-intensity sprint. From here, the runner returns to a jog and repeats the cycle. Naturally, the maximum-intensity phase will become increasingly difficult and it is acceptable to decrease the interval time in compliance with fatigue. Ideally, this workout should last anywhere form 20-30 minutes. Though interval training is most efficient while preformed on a track, it is possible to do this type of training on any cardio-type exercise machine.

Though high intensity interval training is a powerful way to lose weight, beginners must be cautious while performing the method. It is important to start at a lower intensity, and gradually work into your body’s maximum-intensity ability. A warm up phase, consisting of stretches and a light jog, along with a cool down run, are imperative in order to prevent injury.

Electrolytes are minerals found in your body. They are broken down into smaller particles called ions when they are dissolved in water. The main purpose of electrolytes is to regulate fluids in the human body. This helps balance blood pH. They create the electrical impulses required for all types of physical activity, including neuromuscular communication.

If you are eating a well-balanced diet, you will likely initially receive adequate amounts of electrolytes. When they are consumed, electrolytes will separate into a mixture of positive and negative ions. They then become charged either by the ions found in the water inside the bloodstream or the surrounding cells.

At this point, water serves as a conductor, which allows the ions to find their way to the cell membranes, carrying fluid, nutrients and waste. This process will then trigger nerve impulses along with muscle function. It allows the ions in the bloodstream to neutralize various waste acids found in the blood.

If hydration and electrolyte levels are balanced, normal physical functions won’t be an issue. However, exercise will affect a shift in these levels. Electrolytes become more concentrated resulting in their depletion over time. This can hinder the performance of athletes, and in extreme cases, can result in serious medical conditions.

Among the electrolytes dispersed when we sweat, sodium is the most relevant, as well as water levels. As a result of losing water more rapidly than we lose electrolytes, the need for replacing lost minerals during shorter periods of exercise is not as critical as it would be during longer endurance activities.

When participating in longer workouts or more strenuous activity, your body can become depleted in both sodium and other electrolytes. If these levels fall too low, you may begin having important loss of neuromuscular function. In these particular circumstances, it becomes vital to replace these lacking electrolytes, otherwise you could find your body beginning to shut down.

It’s important to replace fluid levels as well as electrolytes as soon as possible. Even if you don’t feel thirsty, it is still imperative to replenish what has been lost. Fortunately, it isn’t hard to achieve this balance. Drinking a healthy sports drink may be the most efficient source of replenishment.

Not only do certain sports drinks provide you with adequate amounts of the most important electrolytes, they also provide water necessary for rehydration. Sodium and chloride are the minerals you lose most through sweat. Ensuring your sports drink includes sodium chloride in addition to other electrolytes such as potassium chloride, magnesium and calcium, helps take the guesswork out of consuming the necessary amounts of electrolytes.

As a rule of thumb, typical athletes should be consuming 4-8 fluid ounces of water every 20 minutes. Factors that influence your fluid intake are body mass, your body’s tolerance, how hot it is and your sweat rate. What you want to consider is the amount of sodium in your chosen sports drink. The normal range is approximately 20-60mg per 100ml, and is vital when participating in any physical activity lasting more than one hour.

As soon as the weather gets warm, you’ll see a rapid rise in six pack abs workout routines in the gym. Everyone wants to get ripped for the beach and they think that the best thing for their stomach is to just do endless crunches. So they spend days training their abs with various types of crunches and high reps and hope that they’ll see results. It never comes. What gives? Why?

First off, crunches don’t just make up a six pack ab workout program. Just doing ab movements doesn’t cut it. Ab training should be as calculated as everything else that you do in the gym. You should plan in how you’re going to improve and what happens when you reach that point. So the first thing that you have to do is design your six pack ab workout program.

The best way to do this is to break up your ab training into three separate days. Crunches, hip raises and rotation. You often see people throwing all three of these movements into the same workout but that’s not the best idea since you’ll never be able to fully target an area that way. You want to maximize your ab training to the fullest every workout. So by doing just all crunch variations (body weight, cable, swiss ball etc) in one workout you fully fatigue those muscle fibers.

While I’ll never tell you that you need to target your lower abs, I will say that hip dominant movements like reverse crunches will work the lower portion of your abs to a greater extent. It just has to since anytime you’re curling your hips the lower portion of your abs must engage. Lastly, we have rotation movement like cable chops and Russian twists. These movements will engage our obiliques more so that we don’t leave any area of our abs out.

Now we need to look at what steps and reps are used. Stop training with high reps in your six pack ab workout, they don’t work. We keep hammering your abs with high rep work and we give our stomach no reason to get stronger. So to do that we want to train with lower reps and more sets at certain times since we’ll increase the chances of creating more ab definition. So you should alternate by training each of your three ab days with higher reps, around three sets of twenty reps on week one and week two change your six pack ab workout to four sets of eight reps.