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 -

1. change your diet/nutrition
2. move more

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!

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.

​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;

• Counting your steps (like an old school pedometer)
• Tracking your heart rate (not avail on basic models)
• Measuring the distance you've walked (ie clocking how many km's you've run).
• Telling the time (normal watch feature)

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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:

• ​Your acitivty tracker will not show you how many bicep curls you've done - that isn't a step
• They need to be charged quite often
• ​They can be bulky (and a bit ugly) on your wrist
• Some aren't waterproof
• ​There is debate on the long term effect of having the heart rate scanner constantly pressed on your wrist
• ​It takes a while to work out the right way to use the app/technology etc

​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

1. Tracking steps
2. Tracking heart rate
3. Telling the time
4. Tracking  distance
5. Extended features on upper models like food trackers, wireless phone call answering

Negatives

1. Need to charge often
2. Bulky on the wrist (some aren't really a fashion statement)
3. Not waterproof (upper models may offer this)
4. Unconfirmed health concerns with the heart rate scanner on your wrist
5. New technology to learn

​Sharon Bouwer - Registered Personal Trainer
Let's Get Active - Group Outdoor Sessions (Boot camp without the boot!)

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.

​

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?

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.