Author: Shannan Ponton

Spring has sprung and what a wonderful, prosperous time of year it is as a Personal Trainer! So many clients and oh so much damage to repair before that first trip to one of our wonderful beaches or local watering holes, Australia wide.

Spring is synonymous with rebirth but most people leave their run too late. Don’t procrastinate or put off your chance to get fit, healthy and happy this summer. You deserve the right to feel confident and enjoy every minute. Take advantage of this lively season by injecting a little fun back into your fitness routine. Spring provides a great opportunity to:

1. Move some of your workouts outdoors

Spring is a great chance to keep your training regime exciting by introducing a range of outside activities to balance your workouts in the gym. Why not focus on weights at your local Anytime and complement this by exploring some new running tracks outside? Or better still, run to your local ATF, do some high intensity weights and run home! The best of both worlds!

2. Train for a race

There are a range of fun runs and activities that take place over the spring and summer months. Sign yourself up early so you have a goal – and then work hard to make sure you achieve it!

3. Engage in a team sport

Not so keen on running, walking or cycling alone? Starting a team sport is a great way to make exercise enjoyable and to keep your workouts fun. Tennis, golf, touch footy, futsal, netball, or join your local sporting club – running, surf life saving, martial arts, swimming or dance? – there are options to suit everybody. Team sports mean you’ll be held accountable to your program, and there’s also the benefit of making new likeminded, positive friends!

As an added motivator, Anytime Fitness are launching the My Anytime Story the 1st October! As an ATF member you’ll be able to enter in a before and after transformation and tell us your story and celebrate the success of being part of the #1 health and fitness chain in Australia. This is YOUR opportunity to show off all of that hard work and inspire others. There will be some awesome prizes on offer! Keep your eyes out for more info to come.

This is one of my favourite ATF initiatives! For us, the Anytime subculture is so much more than a six pack, a number on scales or looking perfect. It’s about how powerful fitness and exercise can be to transform people’s lives. It’s about doing “the best YOU can with the hand, YOU have”. We all live our lives there and I can’t wait to read and see first hand this year’s entrants. I’m always blown away by the resilience of the human body and the triumph of the human spirit.

RIP INTO IT!

 

Getting fit doesn’t need to be complicated. In fact, one of the best methods of exercise you can do to get fit doesn’t require any equipment at all. I’m talking about bodyweight training.

There are so many benefits to bodyweight training. As with using machines, bodyweight exercises build muscle and lead to increased strength, cardiovascular health and weight loss. If you walk into your local gym and all of your favourite machines are in use, instead of waiting around or coming back later you can start your bodyweight training session straight away. Bodyweight training has the added benefit of convenience since it can be completed anytime, anywhere. So head over to a spare corner of your local Anytime Fitness and get your body moving naturally!

You can do a good combination of cardio and strength training or focus on movements which increase your flexibility and functionality within your training. It’s really is up to you how you structure your workouts. The possibilities and versatility of your training is endless.

Here are some of my top bodyweight exercises you can try today:

1. Push up. This is an all-time classic bodyweight move. When done properly, push ups help sculpt your shoulders, chest and forearms. The great thing about push ups is that they can be varied to focus on different areas. A classic push up can be completed by keeping your body in a straight plane, with your shoulders back and stable. Hands are then placed below the plane of your shoulders, slightly wider than shoulder width (vary your hand position to target different muscles, wide, narrow, diamond)　Make sure to keep a natural curve in your spine, brace your core and don’t allow your hips to ‘sag’. One to try: the Superman push up. Assume the regular push up position, however on your way up, raise your opposite arm and leg, maintaining a straight line with your body. Hold this for a count to 3, put your arm and leg back down to the starting position then slowly lower your body to finish off the push up.
2. Squats. Squats work your butt, quads and hamstrings and help your balance, co-ordination and proprioception. The best way to squat is to sit onto a chair and then stand up. BANG! Perfect squat technique. Then move the chair away and repeat identically. Ensure your knees follow the same direction that your toes are pointing. Vary foot width to target different muscles. There are so many progressions for the squat. You can try jumping squats, single leg squats or squats into a leap to increase the intensity and get your heart pumping.
3. Tricep dips. Burn those wings! A successful tricep dip can be completed by positioning your hands shoulder width apart when sitting on a bench or chair (whichever you use, make sure it’s stable!) then slide your behind off the bench with your legs extended in front of you.　For beginners keep your knees bent at 90 degrees. The stronger you become the straighter your legs should be. You then slowly lower your body until your shoulder joints are slightly lower than your elbows. Push back up until your arms are nearly straight (but not locked!) For this exercise, it’s important to ensure that you keep the pressure onto your tricep muscles and not your elbow joint.
4. Plank. Work your entire core using the plank. In this exercise, you need to brace your abdominal and lumbar muscles to stabilize your body in a plank position. Maintain the natural curve of your spine and pull your belly button in, towards the spine. Beginners start on your knees. Once you’ve mastered the standard plank, you can try a variation where you alternate lifting your left and right leg out to the side, keeping your foot slightly off the floor as you do so.
5. Cardio. Cardio is important to vary your bodyweight exercises and increase your cardiovascular intensity. There are so many options which require very little space to complete. Depending on how much room you have, you can do shuttle runs or bear crawls (bonus: bear crawls also work your entire core!) If space is limited, throw in some star jumps or knee highs on the spot, burpees, punch outs, step ups, bench jumps.

Structure your workout by repetitions or by interval times.

Repetition: 5 sets of 10 repetitions for each exercise or as a circuit: 10 reps of each exercise done consecutively and repeat for 3-5 rounds.

Time Interval: Perform each exercise for 20 sec followed by 10 sec rest, repeat 4 times then move to next exercise and repeat.

As with any new exercise regime, it’s best to make sure you’ve got medical clearance to start your training. If you’re unsure of how to do any of the exercises above, speak to the friendly staff or personal trainers at your local Anytime Fitness club.

 

Committing to a healthy lifestyle can be hard, but mentally preparing for this change will help you to reap the benefits of healthy living over the long-term. Here are some tips to help you commit to a healthy lifestyle.

Track your progress

There’s no better way to keep yourself motivated and help you stick to your eating plans and workouts than by recording what you’ve done. From day one, keep a food diary to help you identify the times you at your hungriest, and also which snacks are your weaknesses. Tracking your fitness activity can also help, showing you where you have improved and providing a source of encouragement to keep trucking on.

*Keep in mind, if it goes in your mouth, it goes in your food diary. NO CALORIE AMNESIA. Kids leftovers, ice cream off the lid, just one handful of nuts, a colleague’s birthday cake, a cheeky glass of wine… these all have calories, so get real and write them down.

Share your achievements

Don’t keep your achievements to yourself – let your friends, family and colleagues know. This can help to build your self-confidence and motivate you to keep driving your goals of a healthier lifestyle. You never know – you could also inspire someone else in the process!

*Success creates a desire for more success!

Challenge yourself

Stuck in a rut? Maybe your 2km treadmill run or 15 minute rowing challenge isn’t having the same impact anymore? The key here is to keep challenging yourself. Always set new distances and times, and try new workouts. With exercise, you can always set new goals to further improve your fitness and wellbeing.

*The best version of you, lies just outside your comfort zone!

Set time to recover

Overload is a problem that many people deal with when changing lifestyle, so don’t let the food changes and early morning wake-ups get to you. Pencil in some time for you to relax and recover daily. That means no Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat etc. whilst you chill out. I’m sure you’ll survive not finding out that “Sarah from high school’s, cat just had kittens” Same applies with sleep. No screens directly before bed.

*If you can aim for 7 – 8hrs sleep every night… sweet dreams!

 

The warmer weather, along with the recent buzz of the wonderful running events around Australia, like City 2 Surf, should serve to remind us all, of the excitement and benefits associated with running.  Functional, high intensity training and weights are definitely on trend, but the importance of balancing your exercise regime with some good old fashioned, cardiovascular endurance activity should never be overlooked.

Getting started can be quite daunting, so I’ve outlined below a few of the common running related questions I receive from clients.

How do I get started?

You shouldn’t expect to be running a marathon in your first few weeks – take it slow and be realistic. Start with some interval cardio sessions that incorporate a mix of both walking and jogging. As you get fitter make your running intervals longer. Start with 30 sec on 30 sec recover, then 45 sec on, 15 sec off. Progress to 2 min run 30 sec recover. Soon you’ll be jogging and piece by piece increasing your endurance, until you ARE ready for that marathon!

Should running hurt?

As with any new exercise, some discomfort is normal at the outset, particularly with running when you are adding distance and intensity to your training. Having said this, running shouldn’t cause any serious pain or discomfort. If you’re not sure about the pain, try walking for a minute or two to see if the discomfort disappears. If it stays seek professional diagnosis from a sports Dr or Physio. A little niggle can become debilitating rapidly

What should I wear?

Unlike many team sports, running doesn’t require much investment in terms of gear and accessories, but you do need to invest in a quality pair of running shoes. You know I love my Asics, Kayano or GT 3000 are my preferred choice for running.  Running shoes are designed to help your foot strike the ground properly, reducing the amount of shock that travels up your leg. They’re also made to fit your foot snugly, which reduces slipping and sliding that can lead to blisters. Compression tights help muscles recover and, I find, do a great job of keeping my legs warm on a cold, early morning run.

My Heart Rate Monitor is also an essential training companion for me. I hate not having the hard copy data of my run to asses and critique post event. I’ve found Suunto to be the most accurate and reliable.

Should I breathe through my nose or my mouth?

Both. It’s normal and natural to breathe through your nose and mouth at the same time. Keep your mouth slightly open, and relax your jaw muscles.

What should I eat before a run?

This will vary from person to person. Many people find that running first thing in the morning on an empty stomach most comfortable, while for others who wake up hungry, find that some light carbs like, oats, fruit or multi-grain toast is an essential pre run habit. What’s important is to listen to your body and take note of how it feels and responds to food. If you’re running for more than 40 mins or at a HR > 140 you will need carbs to optimize performance.

How is running on a treadmill different from running outside?

Running outdoors is definitely more challenging than running on a treadmill. You’re exposed to the elements and presented with varied terrain and gradients.
A treadmill “pulls” the ground underneath your feet, and you don’t face any wind resistance, both of which make running easier as you don’t have to propel yourself forward and up. Many treadmills are padded which means they are gentler on your joints and an easier option if you are carrying extra weight. For an inside run which better resembles running outdoors continually vary your incline and speed.

How do I prevent getting a side stitch when I run?

Stitches are common among beginners because your abdomen is not used to the jostling that running causes. Most runners find that stitches go away as fitness increases. When you get a stitch, breathe slowly and deeply in through your nose and out through your mouth. It may also help to walk for a few breaths until the stitch subsides. Supplementation with magnesium has been found to be beneficial.

What can I do inside the gym to help my running?

Cross training is essential. Try cardio machines like X-trainer, rower and bikes to take away the impact in your training. A sound strength base developed from resistance training will always assist good running. Always maintain good flexibility and range of movement through stretching, yoga and range of movement exercises.