Keep your fitness on track this festive season with Team Lifesport Joondalup

The Christmas and summer social season is here and while the Lifesport team believe 100% in enjoying yourself, indulging in all the good things and being merry, we also know that Christmas is just one day! So don’t derail yourself this Christmas, you can still enjoy all the good things the festive season brings by following our team’s Top 5 tips!

1) Enjoy yourself:

You’re more likely to keep up with an exercise routine that you find fun! Try training with a friend or coming to our team training sessions for that feeling of mutual support and camaraderie.  Exercise isn’t about punishment, it’s about keeping the body that you love healthy and happy – therefore why not have some fun with it?

2) Set realistic goals for both diet and exercise:

It’s important to plan to eat well and to stay as active as you can this time of year. This doesn’t mean absolute sacrifice! Allow yourself to indulge occasionally but just ensure that you control the portions and train harder to make up for it.

3) Don’t skip your strength workouts:

Always remember to perform your strength training in order to maintain that muscle mass you worked hard to get. Given the high levels of protein in most traditional Christmas food, you might actually find that you gain some extra muscle this holiday season!

4) Keep Alcohol to the minimum and increase your water intake:

Not only does alcohol contribute to weight gain, it can also increase cortisol levels – a stress hormone that destroys muscle. Alcohol also acts as a diuretic – the resulting dehydration can lead to painful cramping of the muscles which will impair your performance when working out. It can be a challenge but do your best to keep alcohol to the minimum these holidays. Why not try some healthy non-alcoholic fruit cocktails? It is also crucial to make sure you are drinking plenty of water during this busy and intense time of year.  Infuse it!  Put fruit slices, such as lemon, lime, and orange, in a pitcher of water and refrigerate to spice up your water and to aid digestion.

5) Walking after eating:

Studies have shown that fitting in exercise after eating can help reduce blood sugar spikes. This means that you are far less likely to reach for those extra mince pies or chips and dip later in the evening. If you can’t get out for you normal session, try going for a walk with the people you’ve shared the meal with!

All the best for a healthy, happy and fun filled Christmas!

The Lifesport Joondalup Coaching Team

Our highly successful 8-week Challenge starts Monday May 11th 2015

1. Fossil Watch. fossil.com.au

2. Nike DRI-touch tailwind shirt nike.com.au

3. Sennheiser in-ear sports headphones myer.com.au

4. Lacoste Essential Sport fragrancenet.com

5. Nike Air Max nike.com.au 

6. Quicksilver Warhead Scallop Boardshort quicksilver.com.au 

7. Adidas Smart Ball  micoach.adidas.com/smartball/ 

8. Nike Run City Tracks tee nike.com.au 

9. Go Pro Hero 3 white edition myer.com.au 

Why not make it an extra healthy, merry and luxe Christmas this year with our Christmas Edit of perfect gifts for the Fitness lover.

We’ve chosen our favourite gifts for the fashion forward fitness woman and later this week we’ll publish our 2014 Christmas wish-list for the Fitness man in our lives.

1. Running Bare: Too fast to Live One-piece http: runningbare.com.au

2. Adidas Brisbane Watch: adidas.com.au

3. Lululemon Gym Bag: lululemon.com.au

4. Nike Free 3.0 V4 Women’s trainers: nike.com.au

5. BodyRead Sports Massage Gift Vouchers: Book here

6. Lifesport Gift Cards for Training, Gym, Pilates: Book here

7. Vie Activewear Chelsea – Midnight Garden 3/4 Compression Tights: vieactivewear.com

8. 2015 Weekly Wellbeing Diary: kikki-k.com 

Contact us to reserve your Xmas Gift – Numbers are always limited and book out quickly.

Why working out with someone has more benefits than you realise….

We all know the story, we decide one day to make a healthy change, it might be a new training program, new workout or it could be a whole new start, a new fitness commitment. The first few weeks are great, excitement levels are at a high as you enjoy new experiences, motivation levels soar and you feel like you’re onto a winning fitness path, heading towards your personal health goals.

And then something happens… you sleep in one morning and miss your workout, you feel extra tired after work and skip the gym or you just lose your fitness mojo, it only needs to happen a couple of times and before you know it you’re derailed, annoyed at yourself and disappointed that you’ve undone your hard work and effort. Your motivation slips further and then you start reconsidering whether you need a new training program, a different type of fitness or maybe just no fitness at all…..

And so the vicious cycle continues…

The good news is that you can prevent this vicious cycle before it even begins and the secret lies in one word with a big meaning.. Accountability. There is no better way to prevent a fitness flop than to make yourself accountable to someone else.  So just who should that someone be?

A personal trainer.

Working out with a personal trainer is one of the best ways to get results and achieve your fitness goals. They want to see you succeed as much as you do, so they’ll be with you every step of the way, coaching and advising you, keeping you on track, helping you set small manageable goals that boost your confidence, feed your motivation levels and power you through to your next goal.

A group training coach

Group training works on the same principles as working with a trainer. While you get less individual attention and you won’t have the same level of accountability and personalised programming, you can expect lots of benefits from your fellow training buddies and massive amounts of motivation and social fun. There’s great research to demonstrate that exercising in a group is motivating, social and boosts endorphin level (good mood hormones).

A friend, family member or colleague

When you workout with someone you know, be it your buddy, your work colleague or your sister, you increase your chances of not only sticking to your fitness program, but fast-tracking your results through a little friendly rivalry, a good dose of support and if you choose your workout buddy well, you could also be having so much fun you won’t even realise your working out.

Many elite athletes and fitness professionals claim they wouldn’t be where they are today without the support of a training partner.

So who could you consider to be your accountable someone to prevent fitness flops and motivation nose-dives?

If you’d like to pick up a complimentary training pass for a future fitness partner, drop us an email and we’ll send you one through.

Health and Happiness

Team Lifesport.

Functional Team Training Lifesport Joondalup

Functional training is not your next fitness fad. Unlike many of the fitness industry’s more dubious fads and miracle methods, Functional training is the real deal in fitness training and is changing people’s bodies and lives for the better.

So what is Functional Training?

Functional Training is all about body movement. When training we’re interested in moving the body in ways that will make it strong for the demands of your every day life. Like lifting a sleeping child out of the car (there is no greater dead weight than that of a sleeping child!), moving furniture, having a strong core to prevent back problems, improving your golf swing, your running or swimming form and most importantly future-proofing your body to be fit for the long-term not just the next few years. At our Joondalup HQ we’ve seen so many clients improve their quality of life with functional strength training.

 How is functional training different to other training methods?

Functional training is not about training body parts in isolation, as has been the way in the past. Functional Training focuses on training the body in the exact ways its designed to move. Over the last few decades humans have by and large become accustomed to living in a very unnatural way; sitting at an office desk for 7 + hours per day, sitting in a car for 2 + hours per day, driving the five minutes to get to the shops, to purchase energy laden snacks they don’t even need, to drive back home, lie down on the couch and mindlessly eat their snacks while watching reality tv shows about people losing weight…. Sounds crazy, but we’ve gotten there and now we’re suffering as a society. Chronic disease is the new epidemic for modern societies. Diabetes, heart disease, cancer all have one common risk factor, excess body fat. Body fat is toxic, releasing damaging chemicals into your body…. The facts don’t lie and as a society we need to start taking action to reverse these life threatening bad habits…. And that’s where functional training can really help. Functional training methods will address the underlying issues you have with your body, correct them safely and assist your body to return to a natural state.

What can I expect to do in a functional training session?

Training functionally involves movements across multiple planes of motion, that use your whole body. You’ll be required to engage your core and peripheral muscles for sstabilisation and can expect to find the sessions physically and mentally challenging, but varied and therefore a lot of fun. The sense of team work in functional training is also phenomenal and our Lifesport clients are five star examples of a highly supportive fitness community.

Functional tools that you can expect to use in training include kettlebells, sand bags, medicine balls, dumbells, ViPR, TRX, core wheels and boxing equipment.

Afterburn Functional Team Training at Lifesport

What are the benefits?

Functional training has endless benefits, but one of the most appealing benefits is the metabolic effect that occurs after your training session ends meaning that you’ll continue to burn body fat long for up to 48 hours post training. We term this the afterburn effect (which is also the name of one of our signature training sessions).

Functional training at Lifesport since 2012.

At Lifesport we’ve been offering functional training since 2012 and are the leaders in the northern suburbs for functional group training programs. Our functional training programs are varied but follow a proven system (developed by the leading functional training pro’s in the US) to deliver sessions that focus on strength, mobility, agility, balance and endurance. It’s our personal mission to ensure our clients move well, develop life long healthy habits and most importantly have a blast with their training.

Functional Team training is highly motivating and results focused and we’ve hands down got the friendliest fitness community there is. Read about what our clients are saying about our Training here.

If you’d like to see the benefits for yourself. Get in touch with the team and we’ll book you in for a FREE first session. You can check out the timetable here and contact us for your FREE session here.

Training the Muscle from all Angles with #PTZee

Incorporating a variety of exercises from a variety of angles will allow maximum muscle width and thickness.

The Bench Press (as shown above) increases Chest thickness.

Bench Flies increase  (shown above) Chest Width.

The Bicep Curl (shown above) will increase Bicep thickness.

The Hammer curl (shown above) will increase Bicep width.

Bent Over Row (shown above) increases Latissimus Dorsi thickness.

Lat pulldown  (shown above) increases Latissimus Dorsi width.

Any questions? Ask me in the club.

#PTZee

Savarin

Nutrition is a lifestyle and is essential for good health and survival, so avoid those fad diets…they don’t work!  Take responsibility for what you choose to eat.  Following a fad diet will guarantee failure and a never ending rollercoaster ride of weight loss and weight gain etc…  Nutrition is a lifestyle of healthy eating, not a diet of starvation and deprivation, and it doesn’t come in a powder, liquid or pill.  Make it your priority to adopt a healthy eating plan that is simple, nutritious and fits into your lifestyle. Here are my top tips to help you get started:

1. Eat mostly real and wholefoods and follow the 80/20 rule

• At least 80% of your food choices should be whole unprocessed foods, and ideally no more than 20% of your food choices
  should be processed.
• In general, if your ancestors didn’t eat it, and you can’t hunt it, fish it, pluck it or gather it, and it comes out of a box, tin, or packet with a label, then it’s processed.
• Select produce that is seasonal and grown from local sources when possible. We have great produce in Australia, so go and checkout what your local butcher and greengrocer has available.

2. Drink Water

• It is recommended that the average adult drinks a minimum of two litres (8 glasses) of water daily.
• Liquid calories go unnoticed by the body and add up quickly, so avoid / minimise carbonated or artificially flavoured, sweetened and alcoholic beverages.
• We often mistake thirst for hunger, so next time have a glass of water before eating and wait 10 minutes to check what you’re really feeling first.

3. Eat a wide variety of foods to ensure nutritious and balanced meals for optimal health

• Eat protein with every meal, including snacks (eg. lean meats, seafood, dairy, nuts, seeds, and legumes). Protein builds muscle and assists with recovery, and provides satiety, keeping you satisfied for longer.
• Eat healthy fats to ensure proper hormone production, cell formation, and immune function (eg. avocados, salmon, nuts, seeds and olive and nut oils.
• Eat mainly low GI and complex carbohydrates, especially around exercise (eg. fruit and vegetables, nuts, seeds and wholegrains).
• Eat at least 5 servings of vegetables and 1-2 fruits every day.

4. Limit Sugar & Trans-fats

• Reduce your consumption of sugars (ie. sucrose, fructose, corn syrup, golden, maple syrup, palm or cane sugar, agave nectar, honey, dextrose, maltose, artificial sweeteners, natural sugars etc) and Trans-fats (ie. anything that is hydrogenated).
• If it comes in a box, tin or packet, try to avoid it (use the 80/20 rule), including those with fat free, reduced fat, or low fat labels.
• These two food groups have no nutritional value and provide no nourishment for the body. When consumed in large amounts, they are key contributors to weight gain, diabetes, fatty liver and heart diseases, and ageing.

5. Eat slowly and only until satisfied

• Relax and enjoy your meals whenever possible. Aim to spend at least 15-20 minutes eating your meal to allow your brain to know you have eaten enough.
• Eat small mouthfuls and chew your food thoroughly to aid digestion.
• Eat only until you are satisfied, and not until you are full.

6. Failing to plan is planning to fail!

• Make the time to plan your meals and use a shopping list.
• Eat every 3-4 hours, 3-6 times per day. Take some time to sit down and enjoy your meal whenever possible.
• Invest in some appliances that will save you time in the kitchen (eg. slow cooker, microwave, food processor/mixer, steamer etc).
• Prepare your food ahead of time and store in individual containers (eg. pre-chop vegetables, pack your own snacks, divide food into ready to eat portions).
• Cook large batches of food and store in freezer, ready for those times you don’t feel like cooking.

 7. Feeling good about being ‘bad’

• It’s okay to break the rules once in a while, just don’t make it a daily habit.
• Follow the 80/20 rule = eat to nourish the body most of the time, and eat to indulge some of the time (eg. indulge in a treat meal once or twice each week only).
• Don’t always be “that person” who never eats anything at social gatherings; it’s okay to indulge, just be mindful of your portions.

Tip 1 #PTNat

“Select exercises suitable for your fitness level and always use good form and technique when using the TRX or Crankit – an exercise will only provide benefits when done well. My favourite exercise is Hamstring Runners, especially on the TRX…feel the burn!”

Tip 2 #PTBrad

“My top move is the Superman! What a great and difficult move! The Superman is a brilliant exercise for building speed, power, coordination and strength. This move combines Upper Body Strength, Endurance and Lower Body Coordination and Power to produce a superman like movement on the TRX straps. Check out my demonstration below!”

Tip 3 #PTJohn

“Take your gym on holiday! - Ask our team about how to do a full body work out on TRX or Crankit straps.

Push your own body weight to gain strength and power. You can achieve a full body work out on TRX or Crankit straps. Suspension training is also perfect if your preferred method is not pushing weights.

My favourite exercise is for your core, double knee tucks, single knee tugs and side to side knee tugs. Keep core raised, stable and level. Do not race as the technique is important to maintain strong core muscles.

I have tested many power lifters and strong athletes with this method. It is the ultimate in core training”.

Tip 4 #PTChristelle

“I love suspension training because its unstable nature makes it a great way to increase your core stability, irrespective the exercise that you are doing. Make sure that you are activating your stabilisers appropriately for optimal benefit. My favourite move – The Pike!”

Check out #PTChristelle’s favourite move below!

Have any further questions about Suspension Training? Check our PT Nathalie’s article about Suspension Training HERE or have a chat to one of our team when you in the club. We are happy to help!

See you in the club soon,
The Lifesport Team