GUEST BLOG: Why Diets Don't Work

The word ‘diet’ automatically initiates a form of restrictive eating in order to lose weight – As far as it goes YES you will lose weight when you go on a ‘diet’ but in 95% of scenarios by using this method alone you will regain back that weight plus some. WHY? Because it is a temporary fix for a long term outcome, meaning it won’t sustain you in the long term due to it usually restricting certain macronutrients which are essential for proper functioning in the body.  Here is a few key points on why diets don’t work:

·         Not only can fad diets be harmful to your wellbeing but they usually lack essential nutrients for our functioning and even worse THEY TEACH YOU NOTHING ABOUT HEALTHY EATING AS A WHOLE!

·         And then there’s the BS marketing of “diet” products, but if you read the fine print closely it usually suggests a healthy diet and exercise for best results – in other words, if you eat well and exercise regularly you don’t need this magic potion but buy it anyway! SKIP THE CRAP – STOP WASTING YOUR MONEY and just commit to a healthier lifestyle to see the results. 

·         There is nothing wrong with wanting to lose weight, but don’t go crazy in developing bad habits such as trying fad diets or skipping meals because these are just unhealthy and unmethodical to your wellbeing, both physically and emotionally.  Simply start by controlling portion sizes and perhaps cutting back on your “must haves” such as chocolate or soft drink, halve it then halve it again, this is an excellent start to developing a healthy habit to weight loss, the best thing you can do is LOSE THE DIET MINDSET!

Yes it sounds cliché and no it’s not the answer you were probably hoping for but I can guarantee you, skipping the diets and investing in your health and wellbeing will be the best thing that will yield the results you so truly desire.

Gemma is a Personal Trainer & Nutrition Coach based on the Sunshine Coast.  Offering online coaching in both fitness and nutrition to suit your lifestyle or in person via arrangement. 

If you’re sick of the vicious dieting cycle there is a special offer for a limited 10 spots for my 16 week nutrition program at 40% OFF.  This will teach you how to understand nutrition, flexible dieting and it will be customized to your energy needs.  If you’re interested contact me directly via email: gemmaricept@outlook.com

If you have any further questions I’d be more than happy to answer them over on my Facebook or Instagram page – feel free to connect with me for fitness and nutrition tips and advice.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/getrealphysiques

Instagram: @getreal_physiques

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw7c_ER2rQFLgXOA1m48lQg

Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/gemmaricept  

Jamie Milne Training: Make Discomfort Your Friend

TEAM UP WITH DISCOMFORT & IT WILL FACILITATE POSITIVE CHANGE!

Over the last week I've been constructing an impending goal setting seminar, "IT'S YOUR FUCKEN LIFE". 

I will be presenting this to 100 people at JMT (we only have 70 tickets remaining). One of those 100 people will go home on the night with up to $2500

Besides the overwhelming eagerness and delirium to deliver it's ZEAL, something dawned on me. We are born, we do some stuff,  and then we fucken die!

Has anyone for any brief moment addressed the quality of their "Inner Circle" the friends we keep, the business we provide, the job we do, our current state of or our health or lack of?

Many of us live as though we have forever, like we're Peter Pan, like we never have to concern ourselves with growing old, being unwell and frail, being stuck in a SHIT marriage. Life's not going by THAT fast, SAID NO ONE EVER!

When did we lose the ability and  freedom to explore the possibility of a life without limits? Think back to when you were a kid, what was it you wanted to be? Marine Biologist? Astronaut? Superman, Supermodel?

As children we automatically act towards a pursuit of goals, immediately outside of what we can obtain instantly! Without even a consideration our dreams wouldn't come true! I don't know about you but I jumped off many a roof top, shitty beach towel sheathed around my neck, socks pulled up to my ears, and some old family members belt lassoed around my guts expecting to fly...........Just like Superman!

Seems to be the storyline of my life... And then we do some stuff, and then we get old, and then life alters our perception of  our dreams.

If we are but some of the fortunate few who don't check out early we may find ourselves sitting slumped in a plastic outdoor furniture chair covered in encrusted mould,  watching local ducks bounce along the waterway wishing we had a shot at being an astronaut again.

Oh SHIT! I didn't even get close to using all my stuff! I assumed I had forever, I wasn't going to die, be frail, be lonely. I didn't even ask the girl of my dreams to marry me. FUCK! Here I am 85 sitting, wishing, hoping, praying, that there is something more for me. More then ducks bouncing, Jenga playing, Sudoko. Saturdays with my 90+ year old aged community!

See my opinion is that we avoid discomfort, and naturally so, discomfort hurts. Telling your boss to stick his job up his arse and that his control freakish ways will no longer effect your life. Getting your health back on track by going to the gym 3 times a week and jogging in the mornings, it hurts, your muscles hurt, there's discomfort. Declining the afternoon boutique beer with friends, because you know you can't stop at 2, and that if you indulge you'll be singing along to Cold Chisel's Kah San at 11pm.

This is embracing discomfort, this is making discomfort your playmate, your associate and your friend.

Thomas Jefferson stated in 1776, and I quote.
"Nothing Can Stop The Man With The Right Mental Attitude From Achieving His Goal:  And Nothing On Earth Can Help The Man with the wrong mental attitude"
In 2017 not much has changed!

So please don't waste any more time, life goes by so so quick, I'm sure you would agree with me. Nothing is certain and nothing is for keeps, write some stuff down, dream some big dreams! 
Imagine your life without limits, without your own self limiting beliefs, allow yourself the chance to be the YOUNG you again, dirty old beach towel for a cape, socks pulled up etc, don't put yourself in a shoe box and leap the fuck off the garage roof SUPERMAN!

https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/its-your-fuen-life-seminar-tickets-33565457186

Jamie Milne
Strength and Conditioning coach

GUEST BLOG: Why Pilates is for everyone?

Everyone’s heard of Pilates right? It’s been around for a while now (since the 1920’s). To be honest when I first heard about Pilates I thought it was just another one of the many fitness fads that would come and go. That was until my running obsession was interrupted by injury! I was forced to take a bit of my own Physiotherapy advice and give Pilates a try and from that day on I was hooked.

What is Pilates?
The most common answer I get to my question, ‘have you done pilates before?’ is no but I’ve done yoga. Well, that’s like comparing apples and oranges. Pilates focuses on core stability. It works all those small muscles that your body has forgotten we have but need to use. The ones that stabilise your joints and work to create a ‘powerhouse’ to take the load off your spine. While Pilates can be performed on a mat the rolls Royce of Pilates is the Reformer. This machine uses different spring resistance to challenge, strengthen, stretch and lengthen muscles.


Pilates is for EVERY-body
No Pilates is not just for women. I’m sure some people think that Pilates is airy-fairy just lying around the floor. I challenge anyone with that perception to a 1 hour reformer class! In fact Pilates was actually developed by a male, Joseph Pilates back in the 1920s for the army and athletes. 
Men, women, children, athletes, elderly people, pregnant women….. anyone can (and in my opinion SHOULD) do Pilates. The amazing reformer and it’s spring resistance mean endless exercise combinations and difficulty levels.

Injuries
All injuries can be accommodated which makes it the perfect mode of cross training. This low impact exercise is also the perfect way to rehabilitate post injury. Pilates is also the perfect way to prevent many injuries through addressing muscle imbalances, improving muscle strength, flexibility, balance and even body awareness. In the same way it can lead to improved athletic performance. 
Just want a solid workout

If it’s easy, it’s probably not pilates! Pilates should be challenging, you should feel that deep muscle burn. It works all those problem areas- abs, butt, inner thighs, love handles and backs of the arms. You think your squats are working your butt? Wait until you discover those deep glue muscles!
Like any type of exercise correct technique and expert instruction is critical. It’s often a good idea to do a one on one session with a Physiotherapist to teach you the basics and address your specific goals. Health fund rebates apply too!

If you haven’t tried it make 2017 the year of Pilates. Your body will love you for it

Kirsti Leeson
www.handsonalliedhealth.com.au
29 Ben Lexcen Drive Sunrise Beach
Ph: 0418885027
E: kristi@handsonalliedhealth.com.au
FB: www.facebook.com/physiopilatesmassage
Insta: @physiopilatesnoosa

Sunshine Coast Dietetics: Tips for Children Who Are Fussy Eaters

Feeding children can be one of the hardest tasks a parent undertakes, particularly with today’s vast range of colourful and highly-flavoured food, complete with superheroes adorning the packaging. Most children are likely to become ‘fussy’ at some stage in their development, whether it is picking at their food, pushing away their plate, eating only a few of their favourite foods, or flat out refusing meals. In these cases, GPs are likely to be one of the first ports of call for parents who are desperate to get their little ones to eat.  Accredited Practising Dietitians recommend a few tips to help parents manage children’s food fussiness.

Do not beg or push children to eat

Studies have indicated that when parents insist their children eat particular vegetables, a dislike of those foods they have been ‘forced’ to eat often continues into their adulthood. A better option is to present children with a range of vegetables on their plate (including some they like), and sit with them to enjoy dinner quietly, not interrupting or coaxing them into eating. Whether they choose to eat it is up to them, but it is important to keep offering a range of vegetables from which they can choose, including those that have been refused previously.

Do not offer dessert as a reward

Sweet foods are easy to eat and very palatable for children. This can, in turn, give the message that savoury foods are less enjoyable. It is okay to provide dessert foods as part of a family meal, but not as a mechanism for encouraging a child to eat.

Do not praise children for eating

Eating is and should be a pleasurable experience, unless there are other issues, such as food allergies or intolerances, present. Praising children for a behaviour that is natural can lead to the need for ongoing encouragement and praise for every meal and snack.

What else can parents do?

It is helpful to be a good role model and enjoy meals with children. Children are likely to eat the foods that their parents eat on a daily basis, so encouraging parents to regularly eat healthy foods in front of their children is crucial to uptake and acceptance of these foods. This approach teaches the child the food is safe and part of normal, everyday nutrition. Enjoying meals together has a positive impact on children’s health, particularly those of school age. It increases intake of vegetables, fruit and dairy foods, and decreases consumption of unhealthy foods.

While eating every meal together may not be realistic, increased benefit is seen with more meals shared. Encouraging children to play with the food, either with a utensil or with their hands, and to get messy, can be helpful. They should gradually put some in their mouth and may spit back out, but that is a step closer to eating and enjoying that food.

Some other key pointers that can be offered to parents include:

• Turning off the television and other distractions

• Leaving children to eat in peace (keeping an eye from a distance)

• Letting children make some mess

• Mixing foods they already like with some they don’t

• Making sure their feet are always supported while eating

• Focusing on weekly, rather than daily, intake (children will have days where they eat more or less)

• Serving dinner foods at lunch time – this may help if they are tired at the end of the day

• Making sure they are not drinking too much milk (no more than 600 ml per day)

Peta Adams

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

Paul's Body Engineering: Balance and Consistency

Balance and Consistency. These are two keys words thrown around a lot to describe the 'ideal' when one’s life is busy between work, personal and other commitments. As a Father of three, life can get very busy at times. Trying to manage three children, work, and personal commitments can be very difficult to juggle.

So what is the answer? What’s the secret to finding that balance and consistency?

Planning & Organisation

For me, I’ve found planning out my week certainly helps. Utilising a weekly planner is a great idea to map out your week one week ahead to visually see what you are doing, what time you have committed, what time you have left and perhaps how you can better manage your time. 

With my schedule training is another key attribute to my life which ensures I maintain a strong body and mind. Again this is another thing I have to commit too each week, thus finding time for this as well.

Ill start my week by scheduling out my work commitments whether that be face to face clients, online coaching requirements, blog writing, program building etc. All require the allocated time, all require completion by a certain time and date therefore need to be schedule accordingly and managed effectively. On top of this comes personal commitments such as school drop offs and pick ups, after school activities and weekend family events.

For me again, I enter all of this into my weekly planner. Knowing my week ahead down to the hour allows me to prepare well, organise my time efficiently and co-ordinate any last minute changes effectively.

Being a Personal Trainer with many clients, changes throughout the week is very common therefore often I find myself changing times around to suit. This is exactly why I have the week planned out providing greater opportunity to manage my time and make these changes , where possible, without too much hassle.

I also utilise a scheduling app on my phone to assist with the booking and scheduling process. While it is not ideal to manage more than one schedule or calender, each schedule I maintain represents a different aspect of my life and for me, this breakdown between work and personal seems to work.

It is amazing that once a week is completed planned how many gaps in your day you will find. 30 minutes here, an hour there all add up which leads into the next section.

Exercise & Nutrition

A lot of the hurdles I hear regrading finding time to train and plan out meals is time.

Thanks to the above effort, we have gone to in the above exercise to plan out each week down to the hour, enables you to schedule in training and meal prepping as needed. If you believe training three days a week is what your body and mind needs, then schedule it into the weekly planner accordingly. Plan it so it before work, after school drop off, after work etc. What will best fit into your schedule but once its in the planner its in your week and schedule to be done.

This also applies to meal prepping. One of the biggest failures for someone trying to get fit and healthy is nutrition. Meal prepping is such a good way to avoid temptation, unplanned meals and keep yourself on track. In order to meal prep you need the time to manage this hence utilising the planner again. Schedule in an hour a week or how long you believe it will take to prep out an entire weeks worth of meals thus it is now in the planner so scheduled to be done.

Family Time

This should always be a priority. Life can get so busy our family and kids become second fiddle to everything else when they should be first. We work to live not live to work so time should be given to spend quality time with family and friends.

Again this is something that can be scheduled in. Whether it be a family meal each week, a movie night, beach time, a bike ride etc if its in the planner then should be scheduled to be done.

This is how I manage my time and by all accounts I am not perfect at this as unexpected circumstances do always present themselves which cause the weekly schedule to change however it is always managed to the best of my ability.

My take home points would be;

• Plan out each week down to the day and hour ultimately showing the free time you have that you weren’t aware of.
• Ensure the planner details work, training, meals and family time
• Stick to the weekly plan as close as possible
• Manage anomalies each week to the best of your ability to keep your structure intact

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 PT & Adventures: You Are Worth It

Who finds themselves thinking ‘if only’? 

If only I was taller, slimmer, fitter, healthier, earned more money, looked like the girl on the front cover of your favourite magazine. If only I had her legs or if only I could run as fast as him, if only I didn’t have a bad knee or whatever it is.  The thing is, we all compare ourselves to others. Everyone can find someone they think is ideal, but dealing with this feeling of ‘if only’ can be a completely different story.

Stop Comparing yourself! 

There is only one you in this whole entire world and guess what?  That makes you pretty freaking special.  There is no better person in this world that can be better at being you than you can.  Comparison really is a thief of joy. 

The most wonderful thing about being you is that you have a choice.  You can either choose to live a life comparing yourself and being robbed of joy or you can get all your ‘if only’s’, put them in a great big bag and drop kick them out of your life.

You are amazing just the way you are.  Right now…… Amazing!

So much pressure is put on us to fit into a category, a label; what society says we should be like, look like, talk like, act like.. I say stuff the labels, the categories, the idea of the ‘perfect’ image (what is the perfect image anyway?)

Take a little time out to tell your family, friends, neighbours, the girl that has just started at the gym, your workmates, everyone that they are doing a great job, encourage them. A little positive reinforcement can be the difference between failure and success.  Be the change you want to see in the world.

 What if I told you, all those men and women out there, that it’s ok to be selfish, yep, that’s right, it’s actually healthy to put yourself first for a change.   What if I also told you that it is totally ok to have time just for you, to do WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO!! 

Shout out to all those mum and dads that are at home looking after their kids.  Leave the cleaning, don’t worry about folding those clothes, you are doing an amazing job.   Go outside and have time to do whatever it is you want to do because YOU DESERVE IT.

Shout out to everyone working their butts off in life.  You are doing an amazing job.  You deserve to do something just for you.  Find your fun, be happy.

What if I also told you that YOU ARE WORTH IT?  Personally I spend a lot of time training and not for one minute do I feel bad about that because it’s something that I love and it makes me happy.  I know that if I take the time to do things that make me happy, I am being  the best person I can be, I will be the best mum I can be, the best partner I can be and the best ME I can be. 

So don’t forget to:

• ·         Stop comparing yourself and embrace your amazingness
• ·         Find time to do whatever you want that makes you happy
• ·         Encourage others
• ·         Be the change you want to see in the world
• ·         Know that you are worth it
• ·         Be totally awesome

You are all awesome and deserve so much awesomeness in your life!

Amy Woods
MAB Personal Training and Adventures
Website: http://www.mabpersonaltraining.com.au/
Instagram: @mabptadventures
Email: amy@mabpersonaltraining.com.au 

GUEST BLOG: Regular Recovery and Optimising Your Health in 2017

Courtney Buckley (Physiotherapist)

I am so happy to share with the Sunny Coast Health and Fitness followers my thoughts on recovery and placing importance on this in your exercise routines in 2017. Recovery sessions are often connotated with missing out on another gym, track or bike session. The myth that if we don’t go hard every single session gains will be lost. In fact what we are doing by ignoring the concept of recovery is putting our bodies on the back foot, missing out on potential physical improvements. 

Why you should give a recovery a go?
My athletic background is in boxing, a sport like many, where doing multiple hard sessions day after day is a mark of toughness and a sign of ambition or drive to succeed. What also comes with this I found were injuries, illness and fatigue even at a young age. This is the definition of over training syndrome and you do not have to be an aspiring athlete to catch the work-out addict bug!
Now we can get very sciency when talking about the physiological changes during recovery but here’s the guts of it! Returning the body to its normal resting state including lowering the heart rate, blood pressure, rate of breathing, decreased adrenaline and other hormones associated with exercise is crucial for getting physical gains. The body now adapts by refuelling, repairing and clearing away the waste products associated with exercise. Skip this step and you are starting your workout feeling sore, tired and unable to push through workouts that were easy on Monday but are a totally different story midweek. Do this step well and you become efficient in the energy system or function you trained in earlier that week.
 
How to add regular recovery into your life without taking time off
Consider how you can incorporate stretching, warm down routine, low intensity sessions that focus on control or coordination, massage, compression or time in the water such as floating into your training schedule. All these things have been scientifically shown on different levels to improve the clearance of lactic acid, state of mind, regulate sleep, prevent injury and decrease delayed onset muscle soreness (otherwise known as when did all these chairs get so low, my quads and butt are screaming syndrome!). Avoid repetitive strain injuries by ensuring you do not repeat the same tasks every session. For example if you like running try a trail run, interval runs, water running, resistance training focusing on leg power and a long slow run to round the week off.

I own and operate Courtney Buckley Massage a new room within the Noosa Box Office Gym. I am 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