Courtney Buckley Massage (Physiotherapist): Training for Balance

What is balance and why it’s important 

Balance is our ability to maintain a posture without coming a buster on the ground, while standing still or moving. This can be broken down into static (in a stationary position) or dynamic balance (whilst moving). This is probably the most under-rated skill ever and rarely a training focus! 

It is vital for the recreational to elite athlete and for activities of daily living from infancy through to our 90’s. As a physio who has worked in sporting and aged care industries I can guarantee this skill is the difference between independent living or nursing home, national team selection or states, minor ankle sprain or reconstructive surgery. 

Sport specific balance training for ball sport athletes.

Sport specific balance training for ball sport athletes.

Someone who has good balance can generate optimum speed, strength and precision because they are exerting their muscles from a stable platform as opposed to a wobbly one. Most importantly they can also do this quickly and unexpectedly. For example on the Sunny Coast we have many trail runs available, ranging from well maintained flat tracks to mountain goat territory. A balanced runner will without thinking be using tiny ankle muscles to adjust to every change in the roads surface as it gets rocky and more unpredictable. They may catch their foot but readjust with little change to their stride. A poorly balanced counterpart may trip and sprain their ankle for the 5th time in the last 12 months attributing this injury to bad luck….. and honestly no one is this unlucky, you should definitely add balance training to your regime and take note of how fewer times you’ll hit the dirt! 

Balance training ideas

Working on hamstring length and strength 

also applicable for touch football players for 

ball to ground manoeuvres

To improve your balance it is important to have a well rounded program including strength, proprioception, coordination and reaction time. For the purpose of this blog we will focus on generic balance exercises to help your own training!:
Working on hamstring length and strength also applicable for touch football players for ball to ground manoeuvres

• Hopping: all sorts of hopping such as single leg for distance, bounding from leg to leg, hop scotch or triple jump type patterns. In all cases try pausing every time you land to make sure you do not wobble before taking off again. 
• Skills on an unstable surface: a great opportunity to be sports specific. Use a half BOSU ball to stand on whilst you use battle ropes, throw and catch, punch, squat or stand on one leg.
• Skills standing on one leg: strengthen core leg muscle groups whilst practising good balance by placing a theraband just below your knees and extend or abduct the leg. Or place four markers at 12o’clock, 3, 6 and 9 clock positions and try stretching to tap each with one foot. 

Balance challenges don’t always have to occur in standing as pictured on the left. Try incorporating a cardio or external force with a battle rope or punching with a partner or on a bag.

Courtney owns and operate Courtney Buckley Massage within the Noosa Box Office Gym. She's a physiotherapist bringing together a 'full body hands on treatment' using different massage, manual therapy stretching and exercise techniques to benefit your recovery and performance. 
Website: www.courtneybuckleymassage.com.au 
Facebook: Courtney Buckley Massage 
Instagram: courtneybuckley.massage 

Sunshine Coast Dietetics: Macros: Count 'em or Count Me Out?

As a sports dietitian, people often ask me about counting macronutrients or ‘macros’.

When I say macros, I am talking about the amount of carbohydrate, protein and fat consumed in a day (or sometimes a meal). To give you an example, yesterday I consumed 250g carbs, 108g protein and 76g fat. This means I received 49% energy from carbs, 20% from protein and 31% from fat (due to fat being higher in energy content). Though these numbers tell you nothing about the quality of my diet during the day. FYI I could have had 1 ¼ Cups sugar to get that carb intake (though I didn’t).

Why are Macro’s important?

Different training regimes require different macro distribution. The most important factor being the amount of endurance exercise someone is participating in. Endurance exercise requires a greater quantity of carbohydrate to perform. For example a 70kg elite Ironman triathlete during heavy training may require upwards of 560g carb/day. This is only a ballpark figure though it highlights the importance of macros. After we have that carb figure we can then provide guidance on adequate protein, with the remainder of energy being from fats.

For someone interested in muscle gains, focusing on having sufficient protein intake (without going overboard) would be the first port of call. Then ensuring they have enough carbs to get through their sessions, with the remainder being from fat. In these cases it is important to have knowledge about specific macros, more for ensuring minimum requirements of these specific macros are being met.

Why macros aren’t important

Providing someone with a set macro schedule, for example 33% Carb/33% Protein/33% Fat, without understanding their energy requirements, exercise program and personal preferences can be counterproductive. As discussed above, more important is the amounts of specific macronutrients. Sports dietitians have moved away from macro schedules and prefer a much more individualised and periodised nutrition strategy, focusing on the requirements of training. Furthermore, there is always flexibility in macros to address personal preferences.

As suggested above, macros also don’t provide an idea of diet quality. While most people are able to choose protein foods to fit into their macro requirements, fats and carbohydrates are another matter.  Sometimes focusing too much on the % macros will reduce your range of foods, which can compromise vitamin and mineral intake. Yes ‘my only veg is broccoli’ friends, I am talking about you.

What does this mean for you?

In a nutshell; having an idea on the specific macronutrients for your training/exercise/sport and how to obtain them is important. Focusing too much on numbers without consideration for the quality of your diet can be counterproductive. Finally, everyone has individual dietary preferences and it is always important to incorporate those in any meal plan.

Happy eating.

Peter Herzig, AccSD, APD

Sunshine Coast Dietetics 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SCDietetics
Snapchat: @dietitianlife 

Pauls Body Enginnering: Training in Winter

Ever heard of the saying ‘Summer Bodies are made in Winter’?

It’s a very common marketing campaign but also very true. Winter is the optimal time to get to the gym or go for that regular run or walk when many others don’t.

Why don’t we train more during Winter?

• Its cold
• Its wet
• Its windy
• Its dark earlier

Where’s the incentive to get up early and exercise with those negatives in our face everyday?

Well truth be told this is the perfect time and those are the perfect reasons to get up and train and find that motivation.
By putting in the time and commitment throughout the months of winter you are well on your way to earning that Summer body you so desire or achieving your fitness goals by the end of the year.

Need more incentive to train through Winter?

1. The gyms are usually much quieter therefore you can get through your session faster as you are not waiting for equipment
2. Believe it or not the body can actually burn more calories when cold and active
3. Training throughout Winter helps fight off the cold and flu season
4. You are getting yourself well and truly ready for summer by giving yourself a three month headstart
5. Winter is a higher period to put on weight as many people resort to comfort food when its cold, however it determined and committed to your goals you can still maintain a healthy lifestyle and kae the necessary improvement during this period.

Its easier said then done right?

Absolutely!  So how do you overcome this?

Set yourself some goals. Look ahead to the end of the year. Perhaps you are going on a holiday? Perhaps you have a big family reunion at Christmas time you want to look good for?

The point is to set a realistic obtainable goal that you can aim towards and that will keep you motivated through Winter. Once you start to see those changes and even more when others start to see those changes you are more motivated then ever to keep pushing.

Research suggests that it can take up to 21 days to form a new habit. If using the gym is your new habit then commit to at least 21 days and see how you feel.

The more consistent your training, the better your sleep.

The better your sleep, the more energy you have.

The more energy you have the more likely you are to train more often and make the commitment to get up early in winter to do so and stick to your goal.

Exercising in Winter doesn’t have to be hard. If you can commit to short term goals that will achieve your long term objective then the incentive to train is ready and waiting.

Paul Hooper
Personal Trainer/Fitness Teacher/Owner
m 0466 587 643
e paul@paulsbodyengineering.com
w www.paulsbodyengineering.com
f www.facebook.com/paulsbodyengineering
i @paulsbodyengineering

MAB Adventures & PT: The Power of Choice

Imagine what’s possible if you used your ‘Power of Choice’.

Can you relate to this scenario at all? 

Your motivated and pumped to get fit and healthy and then someone puts a piece of cake in front of you at morning tea at a work meeting. Or you say you are going to walk every morning and before you know it, you have missed three mornings. Before you know it, the motivation you had when you first started on your mission has depleted? Or you are feeling happy and amazing and then something challenges you and completing changes your mood?  If you relate to these or a similar scenario you are like majority of people, YEP truth!

The truth is Motivation doesn’t last, it fades, through helping men and women achieve greatness nearly 10 years has really taught me so much about being ‘Mindfit’. I believe we all need to focus on the Mind & Body to be the best we can be, what’s the point of getting fit and healthy ‘short term’? So the million dollar question……. How do you become Mindfit?

It all comes down to ‘Power of choice’

I am grateful I discovered the ‘Power of choice’ so I can share the tool that helps me on a daily basis to be the best I can be. To help you understand the power of choice I want to share how I discovered it. It was through challenges in life from as early at the age of 14, with a severe bicycle accident where I lacerated my liver nearly in ½ which ended with major surgery. Then more major surgery at the age of 25 from a bowel obstruction from adhesions from the scar tissue. I have also ended up in a hospital bed for 5 nights because I pushed my limits too far in a ½ marathon, the biggest challenge of all was when life didn’t turn out how I expected it to be. Thankfully that moment when I hit rock bottom was the moment of awareness that I could choose how I wanted to respond. I could of chose to be stuck in a pity party or I could of chose to get back up and create the life I wanted to live.

I chose to live a happy, healthy, active, adventurous life full of love, I chose to use ‘Power of Choice’ and how awesome I can share this amazing tool with you all. When you own, you create your reality by the choices you make you then open up the power within.

Mel’s 5 tips how to use ‘Power of choice’ within:

1.   Choose to see the gift in every situation, positive and negative  (there is always a gift). With my bike accident at such a young age, the gift was ‘life’ I got to appreciate my life so much more because I nearly lost it. With this tool, write down a list of any situation that is or has challenged you and look for the gifts, if you look hard enough you will find them and it will give you peace around that challenge.

2.   Choose the life you want to live, be clear on who you want to be. You may choose to be a happy healthy active person: write a list of what that means. What does being happy mean to you? What does being healthy mean to you? It is not about what it means to me or anyone else, it is what is means to you. Then write down a list of the opposite- who you don’t want to be, maybe a sad, unhealthy lazy person. When you are clear on who you want to be, its actually only one choice to make when you have options in front of you

3.   Choose to be clear on your 'why'. Write down your why you choose to live your life a certain way. When you have a big enough reason why, it helps when you have someone putting cake in front of you, or helps you stay strong when you have to adapt to challenges.

4.   What would love do? This is the biggest powerful tool ever. Choose to ask this question and it will lead you to the best option that serves you for the greatest good. Some mornings I will ask myself what would love do and some mornings I do need to rest because I have pushed myself too much the day before, or some mornings I trust my body needs to get outside and feel the sun on my face.

5.   Choose to trust it is what it is. The fact is, many things in life you cannot control, and if you can trust the things you cannot control, simply is what it is. It will give you peace in your inner being.

Start with these 5 tips and watch how your world changes, become aware of your inner peace and contentment and also become aware of the change that happens. Remember nothing ever stays the same, you either evolve or dissolve, I hope you choose to evolve and embrace the gift of Power Of Choice.

Mel x

OFFER -

1. Book in for a private mindfit session special $99 CODE---- SCH&FOFFER

or choose to had some fun fitness into your life because fitness can be fun

2. Unlimited Bootcamps for one month $99 CODE---- SCH&FOFFER

Website: www.mabpersonaltraining.com.au

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Ph: 0401286200

Amso Fit and Healthy (Danica): Why ‘Clean-Eating’ Should be Considered a Swear Word

What is "clean-eating"? To this day, there is still no clear definition of what clean eating is. General consensus however suggests that clean-eating is following a diet that contains no or only minimally processed foods with no harmful chemicals. Sounds good? If the focus of the term "clean-eating" was just on eating healthy, then yes, it would be perfect and everyone could stick with it. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. What the term does however, is instil a sense of fear surrounding food and what’s being eaten. It develops a mentality of restrictive eating in its’ followers, delivering false hope by overlooking the inevitable "slip-ups" and lacking the ability to be sustained long-term. As a result, people develop a poor relationship with food, one that can see clean-eaters becoming consumed by eating clean, becoming "too healthy".

You’re sitting there, reading this, wondering how eating "too healthy" could be a problem, right? Sounds a little too strange to be true I’m sure. What has happened though is that with the rise of such trends as the clean eating movement, so too has the increased recognition of a condition known as "orthorexia".

The term literally translates to a "fixation on righteous eating". What starts off as a seemingly harm-free attempt at healthy eating quickly turns to an unhealthy fixation on the purity, quality and quantity of foods eaten and how to deal with inevitable ‘slip-ups’. This truly dedicated style of eating is difficult to persevere with, becoming incredibly restrictive in regards to the variety of foods eaten and calories consumed, too restrictive in a lot of instances. Ironically, the health of someone with orthorexia suffers, considering they were completely dedicated to healthy eating.

While this is an extreme example of what can, and does, happen when clean-eating goes wrong, it does further highlight that this dieting mentality is unrealistic, unsustainable and in some cases unhealthy.

So what’s AmSo Fit & Healthy’s answer to healthy eating? Following a more holistic approach, one that encompasses all things that lead to a healthy relationship with food.
ä Don’t fear food
Food is not something to be afraid of. It’s what we need to fuel our body to do all of the amazing things it does. Food anxiety and restrictive eating is not good for the body or the mind. Fad diets try to suck you in and make you scared to eat, check out our previous blog post "" for tips on how to avoid these scams.
ä Simple meal-prep
Do you find that you’re reaching for chocolate bar, cakes or biscuits when you’re hungry because you don’t have the time to make or sit down to eat something healthy? Meal-prep is a wonderful thing, not to just be used by gym junkies and body builders but something that us mere mortals can take up. Compile your favourite and some new recipes to try for the week, write yourself a grocery list, allowing yourself a treat, and get prepping. It may just mean that you chop up your vegies and have them ready to be used throughout the week, or you cook up some meals and put them in the freezer, ready to grab on the go. Whatever you can do to make your life a little easier and entice you to grab something healthier for lunch or the 3pm snack.
ä Maintain a healthy balance of food
Aim for your 5 serves of vegetables (1 serve = 1 cup of salad or ½ cup cooked) and 2 serves of fruit (1 serve = 1 medium piece). Enjoy these in a wide variety of colour – the more colour the better. Don’t be afraid of carbs – go for wholegrain options that fill you up and fuel your body for longer. Eat lean meats, the size of your palm. Have oily fish 2-3 times per week – salmon, mackerel or sardines. Try a meat-free night by swapping the steak for lentils – delicious in a curry. Go for reduced-fat dairy – stick with milk in your coffee, not butter. And have a piece of cake. Don’t punish yourself for having a "naughty" treat, but keep in mind that it is a treat – enjoy every mouthful.
ä Create a healthy eating environment
This doesn’t mean throwing out all of the treats in the house. It means to make your eating experiences positive ones by control the environment around you, incorporating ideas from mindful eating, as discussed below. Switch off the T.V, let some fresh air in and eat with friends or loved ones. Take time between mouthfuls to catch up, talk about you day, chat about the foods you are eating and the flavours of each dish. When cooking dinner, pay attention to all of the ingredients your putting in. Smell the herbs and spices, taste the veggies before you put them into the dish and see if you can find those flavours when you’re eating the finished dish.
ä Practice a bit of mindful eating
I know it may sound a little "wanky" but there is some pretty strong evidence that suggests that paying attention to the food that goes into your mouth has positive impacts on your physical and mental health. Mindfully eating requires you to focus on the colours, smells, textures, flavours, temperatures and sounds of the foods you eat, developing a true appreciation for the experience of eating food both inside and outside of the body. The opposite, "mindless eating", is shown to have connections with overeating, stress and increased anxiety according to growing research. You can practice a little mindful eating/drinking each day with your first cup of tea or coffee. Take time during your first 4 sips to really understand the flavours, the smells, the warmth and effects of caffeine. By being more aware you will come to understand and recognise physical hunger and fullness cues which will help you decide when you really need to begin and finish eating. For more information, check out: https://www.eatingdisorders.org.au/docman/fact-sheets/234-fact-sheet-mindful-eating

Enjoy your food and enjoy the company of others and you will develop a happy and healthy relationship with your food. If you find that you’re struggling with your relationship with food, reach out for help. While orthorexia is not yet considered an eating disorder like anorexia nervosa or bulimia, it is still a health concern and one that needs to be addressed. If you would like to learn more about mindful eating or how to develop a healthy food relationship, I’m here to help, just send me a message or give me a call and we’ll have you and your food becoming best friends!
- Danica

AmSo Fit & Healthy
facebook.com/amsofitandhealthy
Instagram @amsofitandhealthy
www.amsofitandhealthy.com.au
ben@amsofitandhealthy.com.au | 0405 268 619
danica@amsofitandhealthy.com.au | 0458 001 848

GUEST BLOGGER: Rob Wallace

Let me introduce myself... My name is Rob Wallace and I love to run! I'm 26years of age and spend a lot of my time outside of work trail running through the Sunshine Coast hinterland around Mapleton and Glasshouse. I am relatively new to the Sunshine Coast, growing up in the suburbs of Brisbane. I decided to call the Sunshine Coast home in the beginning months of 2015, and have never looked back.
The words ‘a lot can happen in 12 months’ couldn't be any more true. I began my fitness journey around September 2013 weighing in at 110kg.
Quickly finding a passion for running and healthy living I found myself changing, my attitude became positive and my days filled with more purpose and my image became more acceptable to my own self.
It started off as a selfish movement wanting to be happier and well....just wanting change.
You can read my full story here:
http://www.mizuno.com.au/running/blog/rob-wallace-from-overweight-unhappy-to-the-blackall-100-ultra-marathon/

Since relocating Maroochydore has become my running paradise! The early mornings watching the sunrise over the water. The many others training on Alex Headland hill, the runners and walkers scattered throughout the coastline. The vibe of this place has sucked me right in!
Loving the coast has become such an easy thing to do, you get the full package here. Weekdays are filled with routine training runs along the water, strength and conditioning gym 2 to 3 times a week followed by a full weekend of just being outside. The beaches are beautiful and the mountains around are a privilege to climb, the water around has plenty of places to explore on the kayak and I'm still on the hunt for that perfect fishing spot ;)
Inspiration doesn't fall short on the coast, I have been lucky enough to be involved in some great community running groups in Maroochydore and Nambour. The people at these clubs have become my Coast family seeing many rise from struggling to run 1km to signing up for a half marathon 5months down the track.
We all get together each week to help one another to achieve our next best. We would love everyone to come along and give it a shot! Monday nights 6pm Jetts Nambour or come down to Rebel Sports Maroochydore Wednesday 6pm and meet some pretty inspiring people. Also it's free :D

Facebook: Robskee Wallace
Instagram: @robskeewally

Paul's Body Engineering: The Growth of Online Coaching

The latest trend sweeping the globe in the Health and fitness Industry is the mass growth of online fitness coaching.

Often you will see advertisements across social media for online coaching packages and transformation challenges. But what do you really get without face to face contact?

Well having made myself available as an online coach, I can attest there is a great amount of benefit too it.

If you are time poor, work away, don't have a gym membership or don't want one, are just some of the markets that can be attracted to this style of coaching.

It is also generally cheaper than face to face and the good online coaches will be available online at the drop of a hat to answer your questions or provide feedback on your progress.

Obviously to this upside there is a downside with many taking advantage of this movement in coaching and offering substandard advice and training.

As a coach and recognised PT, my advice would be to do your research.

Check their website, social media platforms and reviews. Ensure they are insured and registered and are who they say they are.

Another way is to view their results. If it is weight loss you are after, ask to see previous clients results. If it is bodybuilding or size you are chasing, request photos of previous clients. The greatest marketing tool an online coach has is photos.

A good online coach will have before and after photos of all their clients (with their permission of course) to be used down the track to prove their worth.

Bad advice, in person or not, can have long lasting negative effects to your health and fitness so choosing the right trainer or coach is an important decision.

There is a lot out there now, and its not just locally based. you can source well renowned coaches from all over the world.

In my opinion, face to face is a much more rewarding and satisfying experience and will get you your results sooner, however if you do fall into one of the categories listed above then online coaching and still being accountable to someone may in fact do you the world of good.

Final tips when seeking out an online coach.

1. Check their website

2. Check there social media pages and reviews

3. Ensure they are insured and registered

4. Source result photos

They can promise everything under the sun but when its time to deliver, fall well short of these promises so be confident in the decision you make.

Email: paul@paulsbodyengineering.com

Phone: 0466 587 6430466 587 643

Facebook: www.facebook.com/paulsbodyengineering

Website: www.paulsbodyengineering.com

Instagram: @paulsbodyengineering

Accelerate Health and Performance: Why You Should (Probably) Throw Out Your Scales

Scales: A device used to measure a person's weight.

Weight: The amount of gravity acting upon a body at any one time.
Gravity: The force that attracts a body towards the centre of the earth.

Right...now that we've cleared that up what the hell does it all mean!?

As a society we have a bit of a pre-occupation with putting on and losing weight. What that means far more literally is that we're obsessed with increasing and more often than not reducing the amount of gravity that acts upon our body at any one time.

WHY? Are you spending too much time within the Earth's atmosphere?

The truest definition of what we think we are talking about is our MASS...The amount of matter within an object...but even then that's kind of vague and potentially as irrelevant as the Kardashian's should be.

A persons weight or their mass is really only relevant in a health or fitness context when it comes to sporting performance and in sports with weight categories or when an anaesthetist is figuring out the dosage required to knock you out. Weight and Mass are not necessarily indicators of health or fitness at all.

WHAT!? What did he say? HOW DARE HE!? Who does this bloke think he is? THEY USE SCALES ON THE BIGGEST LOSER!!!

Well...I'm the bloke that is trying to change the way the world thinks one person at a time and I'm starting with YOU!

While a larger weight or mass can be linked to poor health until we have a lot more information let's call a spade a two handed digging tool with a wooden handle and broad, flat, metal scoop and say what your weight/mass really is...it is nothing more than a number! The number on your scales doesn't explain what's really going on inside. Blood pressure, resting heart rate, cardio-vascular capacity, musculo-skeletal integrity, cholesterol levels, body composition, veinous return...hell the colour of your skin can give away more than a number on a set of scales more half the time.

Sceptical? Consider this...

If you weigh 65kg here on Earth with no negative health indicators through any other method of testing and then went into space what would the number on the scales say? Answer: ZERO. What changes would being in space make to your other health indicators? ZERO.

So what does this mean? That we're healthier in space because we weigh less? Let's see...

If you weighed 165kg and have high blood pressure, poor veinous return, clogged arteries and worse cholesterol than Elvis and were then sent to space how much would you weigh then? That's right...ZERO. And what change would there be in your blood pressure, veinous return, clogged arteries and cholesterol? Answer: ZERO. You'd still be a walking heart attack.

Still want more convincing? Ladies...if you were healthy under all key indicators, looked like Miranda Kerr (or whoever you're super jealous of) and the number on the scales said 7 Billion kg's would you care? No...you'd still be a babe! Boys...your turn...if you were healthy under all key indicators, looked like Ryan Reynolds (or whoever you have a man crush on but are too ashamed to admit it...but let's be honest, it's Ryan Reynold's) and weighed 9 Billion kg's...or on the other end of the scale 12kg's what would it matter? ZILCH.

#mancrusherrrrryday

Think body composition! Think bone density! Think lean muscle mass! Think reduced subcutaneous fat (fat directly beneath the skin)! Think cardio-vascular capacity! Think energy levels! Think how well you sleep! Think a low level of cholesterol and balance of LDL's and HDL's! And finally think of putting the scales where they belong...

Mitch, Accelerate Health and Performance

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acceleratehealthandperformance/

Instagram: @mitchellknightpt