Author: Andy

It’s hard to make it on your own.

Sometimes you realise that things have got to change. Maybe you had a frank talking to from the doctor, maybe a loved one has made you worry, or maybe you just woke up one morning and said:

“This isn’t who/where/what I want to be…”

 

Those can all be motivating thoughts.

You are inspired to make changes to your life, health, or diet. And you try really hard to make them. Maybe you take out a gym membership and you’re sure you’ll actually go.

Maybe you sign up to those diet plans or try really hard not to buy junk food for a few weeks.

But then…..

It get’s hard to keep at it

You either get distracted, tired, busy or all of the above.

You don’t see it making any difference where you want it. And there’s so much information out there, maybe you don’t know where to start? Or you try it all, make all the changes at once, and surprise, surprise, it doesn’t stick.

And so, after a couple of weeks things drift back to where you started. Horribly, sometimes they even go backwards!?!

If this has been you, or someone you know, then you’ll be pleased to know you only really need one thing.

HELP!

Maybe just some encouragement to stay the course you’ve set, because if you don’t stick with it, it definitely won’t work.

Maybe you need someone to help you sort through all that information out there to find what’s right for you. With everything out here on the interwebz it can be hard to see what’s useful and what’s not.

Or maybe you need someone to sit down with you and start at the beginning. Figure out exactly what you want to achieve, help you figure out how to get there, and then help keep you accountable and on track.

Not everybody needs all of those, and some don’t need any, but for the rest of us

 it helps to have some help.

If you’d like some help getting started or back on top of things, my October Special might be what you’re looking for.

I’m offering a huge discount on:

A 12 week program, personalised to you that includes

• An initial one hour assessment, clarifying your goals and needs.

• One hour private personal training session every week, built around your goals and your schedule

• Individualised programming for the whole 12 weeks

• Unlimited free access to all my Strength and Stability classes (11 per week to choose from)

• Monthly re-assessment to fine tune your program

• All this for only only $65 / week! – Save $300

To discuss how this plan can work for you, or to book in a non-binding chat with me, just click on the  button below.

Hope I can be of help soon,

Cheers,

Andy

For those who are new to exercise, and are not sure where to start, my Fitness Basics guide will give you the tools you need to begin.

 

Assisted Squats

Squats are a very basic movement that you will find are part of most fitness regimes. They are great for improving leg strength and hip mobility. Unfortunately, though, many people don’t quite get it right, losing out on the benefits from this really simple and effective movement.

Grab a sturdy chair. One without arms is best.

1. Start with your feet about shoulder width apart – just outside outside your hips.
2. Keep your back up straight and gently bend your knees to poke your bum out behind you. Aim for your bottom to just gently touch the top of the chair, but don’t actually sit – keep the load on your quadriceps. Raise your arms straight out in front of your body to help stabilise your centre of gravity so you don’t fall back.
3. When you have gone as far as you feel comfortable with, squeeze your bum and legs to take you back up to standing.

 Make sure your knees don’t lean in, engage the muscles on the inside of your knee to keep the knees in line with your toes.

 Keep your back up straight the whole time. Try not to lean forward.

When you have done this comfortably with a chair a few times, try doing it without a chair.

 

Horizontal Rows

Great for building upper body strength in a supported position.

You can do this with a coffee table or a park bench, using something easy to hold for a weight (dumbbell, full milk bottle, etc).

1. Start with one hand and one knee on the bench, with your other leg straight down to the ground.
2. Set your back and shoulders so they feel strong, and in a straight line from shoulders to hips. Engage your core so you are active and supported through the back.
3. Press down into your bench as you pull the weight up towards your armpit.
4. Lower it down slowly, without letting your shoulder sag down towards the ground.

 Don’t raise the weight higher than your armpit, and don’t take your elbow out to the side.

 Move deliberately and try to feel the muscles in your arm working.

To progress, use a heavier weight.

 

Assisted Push-Ups

Lots of people hate push-ups, but they are one of my favourite exercises.  There is a reason that push-ups are a staple of most Personal Trainers and exercise classes – they work. Having said that, there are plenty of people who struggle to complete a full push-up on the floor, and who would be better off starting in a more upright position. This builds the strength that is needed to progress towards the floor.

Find a sturdy elevated surface – the kitchen bench or dining table or a balustrade/hand rail are often a good height to begin with.

1. Start with your hands shoulder width apart and your feet back far enough that you are leaning forward onto your hands, your arm straight.
2. Carefully bend your elbows to lower your torso until your chest touches the bench.
3. Engage the tummy and squeeze the bum to ensure all the muscles are working to support the movement and you don’t strain your back.
4. Straighten your arms to push up to the starting position.

 Keep your back straight – imagine you are a plank of wood. Try not to bend at the hips.

 Keep your elbows into your sides, to prevent strain on the shoulders.

Be deliberate as you move up and down. As you develop upper body strength, you can lower your hands a coffee table, or the arm of a couch and eventually the floor!

As a personal trainer on the Sunshine Coast, I specialise in helping people to get moving safely, at a level that is right for them.

If you’re looking for more individual guidance to get you on your fitness journey, call me today.

 

One thing we all want to know about exercise is:

What is the bare minimum I need to do?

When I chat with people about this, they often want to know if I train everyday and if they could​, or even should​, do the same.

Exercise, like many things in life​, is all about getting the right amount.

But it’s also about practicality, specificity and diminishing returns. What that means for you might be quite different to me. 

So let’s have a look at some principles behind exercise and what different approaches mean.

 

The amount we should exercise or train depends on a lot of individual factors, including our health and injury history, age, lifestyle and our fitness goals.

 

The Australian Government Department of Health Physical Activity Guidelines
for physical activity suggest that adults (aged 18-64) should do between 2.5 and 5 hours of moderate exercise every week.

Or, between 1.25 and 2.5 hours of vigorous activity.

For adults aged over 65 recommendations are for at least 30 minutes of moderate activity on most or all days.

 

Given these guidelines pertain to ​maintaining general health, rather than say, ​improving athletic performance, most of us could probably do with more movement as a baseline.

The key in figuring out what is appropriate for you is to consider:

• What you like doing

• What you can commit to doing (realistically) 
• What you want to achieve and 
• What you need to help you get there

 

Each of these will help you get closer to the right amount of activity for you.

Picking something you like to do will always make it easier to do it. Being realistic about how much and how often you can commit to that likewise goes a long way to staying consistent.

However for most of us, the next two things are a bit harder to pin down. Often our goals are arbitrary (I want a six-pack), unrealistic (I want a six-pack!), or both (I want a six-pack TOMORROW!)

 

Thinking about why we want to be healthy, strong, flexible (or whatever) should be the basis of both what and how you train.

 

Say you have a physically demanding job.

Perhaps your ‘exercise’ is actually more about recovery and balancing out any unhelpful biases you develop in your daily grind.

That might look very different to someone who wants to be able to go on the monkey bars with their kids (or grand kids) or with someone who wants to climb Everest.

 

Whatever the goals you have though, getting the right support can make all the difference to achieving them.

Whether that’s a coach who can help you with a plan to get to your goal, a specialist who can help rehabilitate an injury,  or even just a friend who can provide encouragement and accountability, that support will help you make the most of your efforts.

 

Which brings us to the least fun part of the picture.

When you first start a new exercise program, you often see results quite quickly. As you persist with it though, the same intensity of training provides diminishing returns. This is the key reason why support towards your goals is worthwhile.

 

As we get fitter, stronger and healthier our bodies adapt to the work we are doing.

 

In order to continue that adaptation and continue getting stronger etc. we need to exercise in progressively more challenging ways. A supporter, coach or trainer can make a massive difference here, by providing alternatives, changing programming, and maintaining forward progress.

This means that it’s less likely that we will still be doing the same program after 18 months, and wondering why it’s stopped working.

So to answer the question, ‘should I exercise everyday?’

Probably.

HOWEVER, you need to do the right kind of exercise or activity everyday. Some days should be easier, some harder. Some should focus on recovery and rest, especially as this is when the body physically changes.

If you want to work out what might work for you, get in touch and I’d be happy to help you figure out something that fits your life, interests and budget.

And yes, I do something almost every day.