 1: You have hit a plateau You are doing the same exercise on the same day, at the same intensity over and over and over. 2: You haven't changed your nutrition You are still eating what you know, what you like, and what is easy. Doing what you always did, will get you where you've already been. 3. You are only doing cardio You are slogging it out on the cardio machines, running or walking with no resistance or strength based exercises in your routine. 4. You are trying to loose weight for someone else You are trying to loose weight for a partner, family member or ex! Do you even need to loose weight? 5. You flip flop You eat great one week, then you binge the next. You go running for 2 weeks then do nothing for 3 weeks. 6. You have an underlying medical condition You have an undetected condition, or a condition that isn't being managed as best as it could be. By Sharon Bouwer, Registered Personal Trainer, Boot Camp Instructor, Let'sGetActive.co.nz Fitwear Athlete (use code 'SHARON15' at the checkout for a 15% discount)  Here's a yummy crustless cheescake my family gobbled up, easy ingredients, easy to prepare!
If it's not easy , it won't be at my house! There was too much for our 4 ramekins so I cooked the rest in a quiche dish ready for dessert the next night (portion control!) Crustless Cheesecake: 210g Cream Cheese (low fat if you are trying to loose weight) 200g Greek Yoghurt (low fat if trying to loose weight) 1/3 cup sugar 2 free range eggs 1 tablespoons plain flour 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 teaspoons natural vanille esence 1/2 cup frozen blueberries 1. Place the cream cheese, yoghurt, sugar, eggs, flour, lemon juice and vanilla essence in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Add blueberries and stir well. 2. Spray the ramekins with olive oil spray. Divide mixture between ramekins (its hard to get this out when cooked, so best to cook it in ramekins) 3. Bake for 35mins or just until firm in the centre. Set aside for 1hour to cool then put in fridge to chill. 4. Serve! By Sharon Bouwer Registered Personal Trainer, Bootcamp Instructor Boxing Instructor, Fitness Speaker, Mum! Like me on facebook, follow me on instagram @sharonbouwerfitness Receipe is from Michelle Bridges 12WBT  Kids and Sport - do you know how much is too much?
Newsflash - kids don’t automatically know how to play sports, they will need to be taught the basic motor skills and be given time and opportunity to progress. As adults we need to make it fun, varied and simple. We need to focus on the skills that are taught, not on performance outcomes. Here are some general things to consider;
Ages and Stages Ages 5-9 – Fundamental stage – Have Fun
Ages 9 -11 – Learning How to Train Stage – Develop sport specific skills
Ages 12 – 16 – Training Stage
Ages 16- 18 years – Training to Compete Stage
Please note: This is a guide only, different children will develop at different rates peaking at different ages and for different sports. We are the role models, as caregivers and parents, it is our responsibility to ensure that learning a sport, and the specific skills for it, is first and foremost - fun and safe. By Sharon Bouwer Registered Personal Trainer Owner Operator of Letsgetactive.co.nz  Do you have a fitness tracker and ignore the heart rate application? Do you go to group glasses and the instructor asks you to count your heart rate and you just pretend to! This could be your missing link to why you workout and find your weight or fitness doesn't budge!
To get the most out of your workout, you need to be working out at around 70-85% of your maximum heart rate (MHR). To calculate your MHR:
For example; if you are 30 years of age
If you are looking at your heart rate monitor on your fitness watch and it reads 100bpm you are likely not working hard enough - you might feel that you are, but you aren't! So step it up a notch and kick it up to at least 70% of your MHR. Some additional safety points to note:
By Sharon Bouwer Registered Personal Trainer Owner Operator of Letsgetactive.co.nz  Are your reasons for exercising to look hot? Do you find that after you've lost a bit of weight it comes straight back on? Then maybe you are one of the many who need to look at the reasons why they exercise. When the scales aren't moving as fast as you want them to, or those skinny jeans just don't fit yet, take a look at how and why you are exercising and eating. Are you only changing your 'diet' for a few weeks/months then going back to 'normal'? Are you only going for jogs or doing some gym work for a couple of months then you get too busy? If this is the case you could be looking at it all wrong... Here's a suggestion of two ways to change your thoughts to a more holistic and positive approach 1) Change your nutritional habits from 'dieting' to eating nutrients or nutritious meals every day. Do this for EVER. So does that mean you are dieting for ever??? What is means is that you are eating healthy, counting nutrients for ever, and save the treats for on occasion only. 2) Change your exercise habits to moving/doing/exercising at least 4 times a week for EVER. Does that mean you are training forever? What it means is that you are creating a healthy lifestyle for your heart, your bones, your circulation, your mood, your metabolism - and the rest, for ever! It is more than just the scales, it is finding a hobby, being with friends, reaching a goal, looking after your bones, heart, flexibility, mobility, skin, mind, sanity, vitamin D, hormones, and then maybe as a bonus - changing the scales! Despite whether those scales change, think about all those other positive benefits that happen when you eat nutritious meals and move more. Aim for a long, happy and healthy life. By Sharon Bouwer Registered Personal Trainer Owner Operator of LetsGetActive.co.nz What is incidental exercise? It is exercise that you do throughout your day without actually knowing it, like taking the steps instead of the lift, parking the car across the car park and walking those few extra paces, walking the dog to the park- not driving him there, etc. Incidental exercise can, and does, definitely help! Any movement you do can help! It may seem silly taking one extra flight of stairs, how can that help right? But If you walk that set of stairs everyday of that week it makes a huge difference. Sitting has become the new 'smoking'. In other words, people are now starting to become more aware of the negative effects on your body of sitting for two hours (or more). There is a big move to standing desks, having 'walking meetings' and getting up of their butt more! Sitting is not good for you, our body is not designed to sit for long periods of time, and some of us sit at desks all day. In today's busy age we often don't have time to slot in an actual exercise activity in everyday, (and that's another blog!) so this is the perfect opportunity for incidental exercise. Simply add in more 'movement' into your day and call that your exercise, then it's back to your actual planned exercise activity the next day. So tomorrow, wear your flat shoes, park a little bit further away, or better- ditch the car and walk, go for a light stroll for 10 minutes on your cuppa break then do the same at afternoon tea break, if it's raining do laps of your house putting only one piece of washing away on each lap. There are many ways to add in incidental activity without needing to get your gym gear, be creative, have fun! It's fantastic for your circulation, heart health, bone health, vitamin D, fitness, mental health and more! Stop sitting and get moving - just do it!  By Sharon Bouwer Registered Personal Trainer & Bootcamp Instructor Owner Operator of Let'sGetActive.co.nz Find us on facebook Do you want to get rid of love handles, belly bulge or that extra wobble around the middle? It's a very common area for people to want to 'spot' target, and the general answer is - you can't spot target. To move that excess weight around your middle you need to do two things -
You can add in some abdominal exercies, these are always great to help strengthen your core and once your core is strong a lot of other exercises become easier, but let's be honest here, you may get some stomach muscles back but it's unlikley you'll remove a layer of excess weight by targeting the area with crunches. Some good overall abdominal exercises are planks, there are so many versions of planks you can try, don't get stuck just on your traditional plank. Also do other functional exercises like the squat and lunge, press up and burpees - almost everything uses your core, so why not work your core and other parts of your body. Work smarter not harder!  When you are sick it's hard to know if you should exercise or not? As a general rule of thumb if your illness has moved into your chest and affects your breathing then you should stop. You should also stop if you have a temperature or are feeling dizzy and have body aches. When you should carry on: a simple cold that is only giving you the sniffles, a mild injury where you can still use other parts of the body, or times of stress. It is important to keep up activity, but you don't have to keep it up at the same level. When you are sick just take an easy walk, do some activity round the house, take it down a notch. Some fresh air and movement is still benefiical but you don't want to risk injury or make yourself even sicker! It's hard to know when to exercise if you are tired. There are different levels of tired. Are you tired because in general you are feeling low on energy, sluggish or stressed, or are you tired because you haven't slept 4 nights in a row due to a sick child or massive work deadline. If it's the former then exercise will help, it will give you energy, help you sleep better and in turn help adjust thought patterns, if it's the latter then your best exercise is to sleep and watch your nutrition.  I only have time for one workout (if that) a week, so what's the point? I'm not going to sign up to a gym, or Personal Trainer or a bootcamp if I can only make it once a week, I would you rather do nothing, I'm fine doing my own thing. What can one workout a week do for me? "think you won't make a difference with just one workout, you won't make any difference doing nothing". Chances are when you join or commit to something, whether that's tennis with a friend, walking with a mate, joining a gym, bootcamp or signing up with a Personal Trainer you'll probably only be able to afford, and commit, to once or twice a week, we are all so busy these days, I hear you! One workout a week can do so much for you, it can adjust your lifestyle and habits without you even realising! Here's how just one workout can affect 3 days of your week; Day 1 -The day before your scheduled workout. You'll feel good through the day because you know you have some exercise booked in the next day, you are taking care of yourself and you feel really great about that, you might even talk about it with those around you which leaves you feeling happy and light. You'll feel that today should be healthy - because you have a workout the next day. You'll go to bed early and have a good nights rest. Day 2 - The day of the workout. You'll wake feeling a bit excited (and nervous) about your exercise activity that day. You'll feel a bit happier and you'll have more energy, you'll eat a bit healthier and generally take care of yourself better. Day 3 - The Day After Your Workout The following day you'll wake feeling refreshed, proud of yourself that you did a workout yesterday, maybe a bit sore and a bit tired but for some reason you feel just a little bit lighter, a little bit stronger, you know that one workout won't have made a difference to your waistline but for some reason you feel slimmer... So what's happened? Without knowing it you've affected your image of yourself, you see yourself in a different light, and so will others. You know you are working out now and taking care of yourself, you feel less sluggish, you feel happier and healthier. You have felt the effects of just ONE WORKOUT a week. There is a ripple afffect in your habits and lifestyle. So just start, if it's one workout a week, one workout every fortnight, it all counts, and yes it's always better than nothing.   Are you too afraid, or too embarrassed to get started? Does joining a group class, a boot camp, or a gym leave you feeling fearful, unfit and unmotivated? Well If you feel like this I'm happy to announce you are not the only one, a lot of people don't exercise with the fear that when the do they'll embarrass themselves, fear of not knowing the moves, or their fitness will let them down, or they'll be on the only one puffing and have to stop, or they'll be wearing the 'wrong' exercise gear. I am a personal trainer and I work out in various places, one of them being a gym. When a new person walks in, sure I can tell they are new, do I think "oh ha ha look at them they are doing it wrong", absolutely not, I am so happy they are here, just being at the gym means I have something in common with that person. At times I would love to walk over to them and say "go you!", but I don't, that would really freak them out. Another thing to realise is when I'm working out, I do so with intent, I'm focused on me, I'm pumped up, I really don't watch other people, I don't judge and I certainly don't feel that anybody is any different from me. I'm sure you'll get the odd judgmental person, they are everywhere right? Stepping out of your comfort zone and joining that gym, or that boot camp, or that tennis club or boxing class will give you so much more confidence. Not just in the workout itself but in walking through that door the first time, in meeting new people, in pushing yourself, in humility. We all had to start, I had to walk through those doors as a first timer too. I still go to classes that I feel are over my head, I love that feeling of exhilaration and nervous energy, I use it to drive me, not hold me back! So join me in not judging, not quitting and pushing out of your fears - you can do it - you really can!  By Sharon Bouwer
Registered Personal Trainer & Bootcamp Instructor Owner Operator of Let's Get Active  Have you got to the point where working out is hard work, it's not fun, it's a drag to get to, and you just can't wait to get it over and done with? You wouldn't be alone in thinking this, a lot of others feel the same and for many good reasons - injury, general tiredness, money, timetable, boredom, difficulty factor, embarrassment... so what do you do about it? How do all those people get the energy to run or to get to the gym? Surely they must have an un-organised house with unhappy kids right? WRONG - they simply make it work. The secret of a fit energetic person is that they schedule their workouts in as a first priority, and the other stuff goes around it. They have just as much time as you, they also have kids, jobs, injuries, money issues, but fitness is the first priority. By making fitness the first priority other positive things spiral from this. Suddenly you have more energy to get up in the day, the day seems less hard work, going to work becomes less of a chore because you've scheduled in your fitness time, you are not constantly thinking "oh i should have done that run" or "when am I going to get time to do this gym visit". Once it's scheduled out and stuck to, it's out of your head and it's one less thing making you feel miserable. "You can choose to motivate yourself, or choose to be miserable, whatever has to be done it's always your choice - Wayne Dyer" Step 1 - choose to put your fitness first, then work, friends and kids can work around this HOW: get a calendar and write it down, get up 20 minutes earlier and do that walk, walk home from work, walk on your lunch break, walk after work when it's cooler and the kids are down. Step 2 - choose to be happy, make a conscious choice to do a happy fitness activity. Don't choose to do a run if you HATE running. It might take a little bit more effort to drive to the pool for some laps, or put the bike in the boot and ride around the Lake in Takapuna, but if it makes you that much happier, and gives you an awesome talking point to your family and friends the next day then choose to be happy! THE BEST EXERCISE YOU CAN DO, IS THE ONE YOU ACTUALLY DO! Step 3 - commit. Fit people get into a routine, they love it, they stick to it, they'll turn you down for a coffee if it's their gym time, they aren't being rude, they know they must stick to it... So do something you enjoy, work out with a friend, make it your pleasure time, not your pain time. If that gym membership makes you feel yuck, do something else, if not having a gym membership makes you feel yuk then tighten the purse strings elsewhere and get a gym membership. Ask yourself "why you workout?" Find out your because...    Firstly, what is an activity tracker? It is a watch that measures health and physical activity, worn on your wrist, controlled through app's. Each brand has features, but the main features are;
The higher end models include things like the ability to answer your phone wirelessly, tracking calories eaten, joining social networks and much more. They can range from around $79 from up to about $1000. In my opinion, as a fitness consumer, here are the main benefits of using an activity tracker: 1. Tracking how many steps you've done in a day. When you get your watch you then personalise it with things like your step size (ie for people of different heights), what hand you are wearing it on, your weight/age etc. It's pretty accurate (I've tested against a pedometor). By watching how many steps you've done in a day it reminds you to get moving, if you've been too sedentary it's a good reminder to get those steps up. This is a great motivator for someone starting out, or someone who needs motivation in general, or just for those who like to follow what they've done in a day. It's great to be accountable for your activity, or lack there of! 2. Tracking your heart rate. The aim of an intense workout is to workout at around 75-80% of your maximum heart rate. So once you've worked out what this is (you can do this on the app), you can see what your heart rate is while you're working out, and adjust your intensity level accordingly. 3. Telling the time. Just using it as a normal watch that is back lit. 4. Tracking your distance. You have a button on the tracker you push as you head off for your run/activity, then you turn it off upon finishing, your tracker will give you a quick read of your stats after your workout. Usually km's, steps, cals burned etc, then once you are home you sync your activity tracker to your app/computer, and all the data is then downloaded. You can monitor your progress each day, the data is stored for you so you can watch your progress over the months. Negatives:
What do I do? I have one and I wear it occasionally, it depends what I'm doing as to when and how much I use it. I used to wear it everyday but I found it got a bit bulky, and with my my main uses for it to track distance on my runs, and my heart rate on an intense workout, I realised I didn't need to have it on all day. I'm not tracking my steps (simply because I exceed 12,000 steps 6 days a week) so wearing it everyday isn't my thing, but I do see them having their place. In general I think they are great tools, it shows a committment to physical activity, your health and the desire to look after your own health, to monitor your own results and those things should be applauded. In summary: Positives
Negatives
 Sharon Bouwer - Registered Personal Trainer Let's Get Active - Group Outdoor Sessions (Boot camp without the boot!)  We are excited to bring you our new program - Fitness Boost for Mums. Make use of the summer days, get active, get social and join us for 6 weeks of group outdoor workouts, it’s boot camp without the boot. Help to increase your fitness, get you active and meet other mums. We’ll use a variety of equipment like kettle bells, dumb bells, boxing gear and slam balls, we’ll also do some bodyweight and cardio work. We’ll play games, we’ll learn, and we’ll work out! Each workout will leave you feeling energised and sweaty! You will work at your own pace in a relaxed no pressure environment. Our workouts will be suitable and flexiable for Mums, we won’t be bear crawling, we won’t be skipping or doing sit-ups. We will be smiling, sweating and spending time on ourselves, just what every busy Mum needs. All fitness abilities welcome. Bring your baby/toddler/child along to watch, or come along without them for some "you" time. Your trainer is a Mum of two girls under 5, and can relate to you. You'll also get weekly newsletters with tips, nutrition advice, personal contact with the trainer and facebook updates and photos. Don't delay as spots in our last and current programs booked out fast...don't wait to get active, life goes faster than you think. For pricing and more details on our workouts see our website, or view our facebook page. Details
 Chair/bench step ups 1. Stand in front of a bench or chair with feet hip width apart. 2. Step one foot up onto the chair bringing the feet together on the top. Ensure both feet are securely on top (not hanging off the back) 3. Step one foot back down to floor. Do this with a count of 2 seceonds, ie two seconds for up, 2 seconds for down. This is a purposeful slow activity to put your muscles under tension. 3. Repeat the entire sequence, but stepping up onto the chair/bench top with the opposite foot. 4. Continue to step up and down, alternating the stepping legs with each repetition. Aim for 15 on each leg, stop and rest, then reapeat another 1-2 times. Safety: ensure your seat isn't on wheels, or isn't going to topple over, make sure the seat surface is hard (not soft like a couch), take it slowly. Advanced: use the same leg (do not alternate) x 15, then swap legs, this will fatigue this leg and use this muscle more. Advanced: lift your knee up high when on top of the chair and lunge back down low when on the ground. Option: If a dining room chair is too high, use your front door steps, or internal home steps, or the step from the deck to the grass etc, start slow and increase the pace. A lower step is more of a cardio exercise, a higher step is more of a resistance/strength exercise using your bodyweight as the weight. Image: workoutlabs.com
 image: livestrong.com There are different goals for health and fitness, some want to lose weight, keep healthy, gain cardiovascular fitness, 'tone' up, and others want to bulk up, if your goal is to bulk up (gain muscle mass) then here are a few tips that have worked for me.
1. Do less reps at a higher weight. Don't sweat it out for endless gym sessions at a lower weight doing x 15reps, aim for 3 sets using a heavier weight with 8-10 reps. You should be struggling... 2. Use a spotter (or better - a Personal Trainer!). This will also help you to use heavier weights, using a spotter enables you to safely push yourself and gets you to the gym with a goal of increasing your weight that day. Plus it's more fun with a friend! 3. Have rest days, allow the muscles to repair. Going to the gym endlessly tired and not repaired from the last workout means you aren't going to be able to lift a heavier weight that day, and also the risk of injury is higher. 4. Have a leg day. Your legs enable you to have a strong core, to lift more weight on standing, to do things like dead lifts and the smith machine. But mostly it means you look and feel balanced. No one thinks seeing a top heavy guy with wirey legs is hot... 5. Have a cardio day. This means spending a day out of the gym, or away from the weights, get some fresh air, this will help with your endurance and overall energy, and can also be used as your rest day. 6. After your workout up your protein and add a small amout of good carbs. You'll probably need to double your protein. Try to do this in a natural way with tuna on wholemeal bread/pita, or full milk, chicken and sweet potato. If you are using a protein shake or bar choose wisely, some of these are worse than chocolate bars with sugars and additives. 7. Keep going. Don't take a week or two off here and there, muscle gains happen when you are using the muscle. 8. Do compound exercises. Do things that mean you are using multiple muscles to get better results, a more rounded workout, and is usually more fun. This means doing things like slam balls, ropes, trx, kettle bell lunges, or the chest press as opposed to a single bicep or tricep curl, dead lifts as opposed to seated leg raise machine etc. 9. Eat more. To gain muscle is to gain mass, you need to eat more calories than you burn off, you'll need to eat the right foods, dense foods. If you eat the wrong foods because you think you are able to take in more calories, then you are probably just going to gain fat not muscle! Tricep Dip Use your dining room chair, or other sturdy chair, it needs to have a hard surface (a couch wont work)
 image: livestrong.com
After having twins Tina decided it was time to set herself a fitness and health goal, it was time to put herself back in the driving seat of her own life, and so the adventure of "mummy to marathon" began! With already having a child only a year before she fell pregnant with the twins, Tina felt she hadn't fully lost the weight from her first pregnancy. Tina struggled with her weight gain after the twins were born and didn't feel like herself, a challenge was needed... Training officially began in June, but she was already active earlier in the year by joining a gym and completing a couple of fun runs - the Colour Run and the Albany lakes, these are 5km's - a far cry from the 42km's of a marathon! Training for the Auckland Marathon involved a lot of babysitting from helpful friends and family, some major changes in a busy mummy diet, and a look at how she was going to manage three kids under 2, a home, a business run with her husband, and the doom and gloom of winter bugs and colds. After what seemed like a long time, the day arrived, Tina was nervous, excited, and a bit emotional about this major achievement. Tina completed the marathon with an awesome time, and didn't stop to walk once. Because her training was so well planned there were no injuries and only mild sore muscles afterwards. Congratulations Tina, you are now a marathon runner! I'm sure your three tots are proud! Let's hope your story will inspire others to be amazing, to go outside of your comfort zone, and to call on those around you for support.   1. Don't worry about what you ate or didn't do yesterday, today is a new day, get focused today.
We all suffer set backs, whether that's having 5 Christmas meals in a row with family or a binge night out, maybe a sickness that prevents you from moving, or medication that see's you putting on weight for no reason... the common thing here is you, this is happening to you, you can get up tomorrow and get back on the wagon. Are you going to make it happen? 2. Get rid of the leftovers, make better choices. Chrismtas and New Years are over, you do not need to hang on to that half a bag of snacks or half a bottle of wine in the fridge, throw it out and restock with healthy and yummy options. Nourish yourself and replace all those nutrients you've lost. 3. Set an exercise schedule and stick to it. You might not have time for a 60minute walk, or a 45 minute gym session, but you can make time for a 20 minute walk or jog. Do some press ups and sit ups at home. There 's no excuse, get moving.  Last week I set my team members homework, here it is.
Go ahead and use it as your at home mini workout while you are on holiday, at the beach, off work or not at the gym. Keep active, keep healthy, keep energised. Homework: 1 x 20/30 minute fast paced walk (or jog, if you are already a runner) 1 x 15 squats, 12 lunges ( 6 on each leg), 2 x 10 jump squats (rest in between) 2 x 12 split/jump lunges (switch legs, rest in-between) 15 incline press-ups (basically press-ups on your dining room chair seat) 12 bench dips/tricep dips (also on your dining room chair) 2 x 10 sit ups (rest in between) 2 x planks, hold for 60secs each time, with a rest in between (if your feeling up for it repeat the whole thing again!) Adaptations: You can do both of these (run & strength work) on the same day if you have time, or split them up. If you have injuries etc please adapt, maybe you can do one of the above twice :) Enjoy! 1. Get some extra sleep. We need around 8 hours a night. The first 4 hours repairs our physical being and the second 4 hours repairs our cognitive (brain) functions. Don't have too many late nights in a row, schedule time for sleep! 2. Drink loads more water. It fills you up and helps curb the appetite, keeps you feeling energised and helps you function better in the summer heat. 3. Have something to eat before you hit the BBQ. Don't show up hungry, you'll just go for the chips n dips and extra ciders, have an avocado on toast, or smoothie before you arrive. 4. Too tired, or too busy, for your normal exercise routine? It's ok to scale it back (for now) and do something simpler. Take a 20 minute stroll on your lunch break. If you don't have time to get all sweaty, don't let this stop you from just moving, every little bit counts. 5. For some natural energy, get some sunshine and top up your Vit D levels. Over winter 1/4 NZ'ers will have some form of mild Vit D dificiency from lack of sunlight, then summer hits and we sunblock up. So get some sun, of course obey the sun rules, before 9am, after 5pm and slip, slop, slap, wrap when appropriate. Don't get burnt.   1. You slip up and give up. It's all too easy to have a bad day, or two bad days in a row of bad eating and drinking and then feel like, "oh well, I've blown it now" and give up. We all have bad days, or lazy days, or unhealthy days, it's what you choose to do next that counts. Just wake up the next day, reset and start again. Be stronger than your oldself! 2. You are spending time with the wrong people. Are your co-workers, friends or family members constantly putting pressure on you to eat, or do something else when that was your exercise time? You need to be around people who have the same goals as you. Or, simply tell your friends that you have goal "xyz" right now and be honest about what you are doing, it's likely most of them will be saying "oh that's so great, I need to do that too!" Find like minded people. Don't be afraid to say no, or to be honest. 3. You don't have a plan. Have you talked to an energetic/fit person lately? You'll find that they have specific days and times they workout, they stick to this, or they plan around it. Don't 'wing' your exercise. Sit down and write a weekly routine, then stick to it. Fit people make it happen. 4. You haven't considered your priorities. If your number one goal is to get healthy, then this is your priority, this will take thought and time and planning, you'll have to say no to things, you'll have to change your routine. Have you prioritised your health goals?  A plateau is when your body gets used to doing the same level of physical activity. You might think you are getting fitter - because it's getting easier, but that is when you know it's time to change it up. For example you might be running twice a week for 30 minutes, or you might be taking the same spin class on a Tuesday night. By doing the same activity over and over your body adapts and it becomes less challenging and less effective. To get stronger, leaner, lighter, healthier and happier you, you need to challenge your body (and mind!) How to change it up?
It is more beneficial to do a 15 minute workout full of variety that brings your heart rate up and down, then a 25 minute same paced jog/walk on the treadmill. Change it up! As well as keeping it different for your body, you are also learning new skills, meeting new people and having a lot more fun in the process.  Personal Trainers - do I really need one? For some people to change their life to a healthy way of living is going to be a complete over haul of how they live. This might involve major changes; sleeping, eating, cooking, shopping, receipes, getting up at different times of the day, cutting back on other activities to allow time for exercise, forming new habits, moving away from un-supportive/unhealthy peer groups and more. A trainer should provide an environment that makes it as easy as possible for this major change to occur, so that when you are ready, they are there with all the hard bits' sorted, and all of the easy bits' left for you to do. A trainer is there to support the long term lifestyle change of that person. When you go it alone it's all too easy to fall off the wagon, the trainer is the friend that doesn't judge, shows up, wants results as much (or sometimes more) than you, they get it, they want it, they live it.  I am not an expert in weight loss, I am an expert in my own body, and I have certainly batted with weight loss & gain. In 2010 I finally cracked it, I got serious, I got over myself, I got healthy and the weight loss came along with that fairly easily. In the years between 2011-2012 I had two children, I put on weight (as expected), then I lost it again, I knew I would, and I have kept it off, this is because of what I had learnt, what I have adjusted to, and what I'm internally motivated to do. I have sustained my weight loss long term by adhering to these 3 simple rules. Secret one: You need to adjust your nutrition Yes what you eat plays a huge role in weight loss, you can exercise till your blue in the face but if you're still putting the wrong food sources and liquids in your body you won't sustain a long term, healthy weight loss. You need energy to lose weight, energy from whole food healthy sources. If you think you can exercise without adapting (notice I say adapting not changing) your nutrition you are probably not going to get your ultimate result. Secret Two: You need to move more, but it doesn't have to be punishing workouts 7 days a week Yes you need to be more active, this helps speed up your metabolism, encourages serotonin and endorphins, gives you more energy, helps with flexibility in everyday life, bone and joint health, circulation and helps curb those awful, and mostly naughty, cravings. You do not need to punish yourself with gruelling workouts everyday, if you follow secret one, then you can do secret two moderately. Secret Three: It is not easy and, you'll need to find the root of the initial weight gain If losing weight was easy we wouldn't have such a large obesity crises in NZ. For some, an initial weight loss might come easy, as your body is shocked by this new regime, but will it stay off for ever? What happens when you plateau? Weight loss is a lifestyle change, not a diet. A diet ends, a lifestyle change is with you forever, yes forever. What caused the weight loss initially? Nutrition, hormones, medical condition, emotional stress? Get to the root of why, the why is way through to the other side.  Do I really need to follow the program set for me, why can't I just change it around a bit to suit how I feel? When your Personal Trainer writes you a program it is well thought out, (this includes 1:1, bootcamps, sports training etc) the exercises are in a certain order and they will target different muscle areas to suit your goals and your injuries, - it will be highly beneficial to follow the program in that order. The first exercises you will usually do are the harder ones, the ones that use more energy, need more balance and effort, these are called compound exercises and they basically use multiple (or more than one muscle), for example a squat or a bench press. Then you will move on to isolated exercises which is only using one muscle eg a bicep curl. Also your Personal Trainer might be writing your program in order to fatigue (use) different muscles, for example, one chest set, one back set, one leg set, one ab set. Or just a chest day, just a back day, just a legs day. Often described as split programs, or push and pull. A qualified Personal Trainer puts a lot of thought into their program, their client and their exercises, (I know I do!) so you can trust them and trust the process and that leaves you just to focus on sweating it out!  |
AuthorSharon Bouwer: Archives
August 2016
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