Once you set and achieve some goals, the next stage to consider is to reward yourself.

It’s time to move away from the food rewards that have become commonplace and all too easy. You don’t want to achieve your exercise-related goals then take two steps back by going out to dinner and eating unhealthy food as a reward.

Rewards should be things that push you to strive for your goals but leave you feeling fulfilled, as opposed to filling yourself with food.

What are appropriate things to reward yourself with?

Rewards can be simple things, such as:

• Going to a movie
• Going to the beach
• Buying new clothes
• Hanging out with friends

These rewards will leave you feeling better about yourself than any food reward ever could.

The bigger the goals, the bigger the reward can be. So set those goals, inspire yourself with the anticipation of a reward, and work hard for it!

Soon you won’t ever see food as a worthwhile reward again!

Goal-setting. You might be thinking why do I need goals? All I need to do is go to the gym, exercise, then leave, right?

Goals are what push you to strive for more. Goals are what keep you going; they keep you consistent. It’s good to go to the gym but, if you don’t have goals that you are working towards, you won’t push yourself. You won’t achieve the results you are looking for and whatever motivation you started with will slowly start to dwindle.

Goal-setting doesn’t have to be big and scary. Goals can be small —for example, getting to the gym 3 times this week or drinking less soft drink.

The thing to remember is to make SMART goals. That is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound goals.

Goals don’t take long to set for yourself; you can figure some out in even just 10 minutes. The pay-off is worth it.  Over time you’ll notice your results are being achieved much quicker and your motivation will be through the roof!

Do you find yourself struggling to exercise during the colder months of the year?

Just can’t manage to roll out of the warm bed or move away from the heater?

I’m telling you now: If you want to be looking good for the summer months, training starts in winter. It’s going to be hard to move away from the warm bed or heater but, once you build the habit, you won’t think twice!

The first thing to realise is that most gyms are kept at a stable temperature, which means, once you’re inside, you won’t be freezing! All you have to do is make it from your house to the gym, which is a short trip for most people!

Have a goal in mind. Going to the gym aimlessly won’t help and it’s more than likely that you will find an excuse to stop. Before you even get to the gym have a set goal in your mind, whether it’s exercise, nutrition or lifestyle-related. This will make it much easier to break through in the colder months!

If you can’t handle the cold mornings, exercise during a different time of the day! Exercise during your lunch break at work or even exercise after work. It will still be chilly during these times, but not as cold as the mornings!

Training in winter won’t be easy. It will take you a few weeks of determination to build a habit. But, if you believe in yourself and stay strong, you can do this!

The more often you do it, the easier it will get!

Many of you women out there may have been avoiding the weights area of the gym out of fear for gaining muscle.

This is the opposite of what you should be doing!

You should be in that weights area 2-3 times per week!

Have no fear! Women do not carry the adequate testosterone levels to grow to the size of a typical male gym member. The benefits of strength training for women should be enough to convince you to hit the weights:

1. You’ll burn more fat – Yes that’s right. When you gain more muscle, your metabolism will increase and you will be burning more calories and therefore more fat!

2. Increase your bone density – Strength training is perfect for increasing your bone density which is more important than you think it is. With an increased bone density you’ll have lowered risks for bone breakage!

3. Strength works for all ages – No matter what your age is, you can still complete strength training. The great thing about strength training is the way it can be modified to anyone’s particular needs!

4. You’ll feel fantastic! – Strength training has the uncanny ability to release the feel good chemicals in the brain. Leaving you feeling strong, confident and happy after a solid strength session!

If you were anything like me as a kid, you likely often heard your mum say, ‘sit up straight!’ or ‘don’t slouch!’ But why?

You might not put posture high on your list when it comes to health, but it can actually affect you more than you might think.

Posture has the ability to cause pain, injury and a lower quality of life overall. But don’t go thinking that you need perfect posture. No one has perfect posture. It’s about getting the best posture that is suitable for your needs.

Poor posture, over time, can lead to increased stress on joints and decreased mobility in those joints. Stressed joints can lead to muscle tightness, muscular injuries or even joint injuries.

When a person has poor posture it means a joint is compromised. Basically, the joint has a decreased range of motion and will require other joints and muscles to be put under stress to make up for the decreased movement. An example of this would be a person with a rounded upper back trying to raise their arms straight. Their lower back has to arch forward and this would place a large amount of stress on it and increase the risk of injury.

There are many ways to improve posture, but there is no quick fix, unfortunately. It took your while life to develop poor posture, so it will take some time to fix.

The best way to fix poor posture is stretching. Daily stretching will reduce tightness and allow you to correct your posture. Seeing a professional, such as a personal training or chiropractor, will allow them to see exactly what you need to do to correct it. They will be able to write up a stretching and training plan for you to improve your posture!

If you’re stuck sitting at a desk all day, you might just want to think about improving the way you sit.

FYI, The Art Of Manliness website has published “The Ultimate Guide to Posture“, which you might find informative and helpful.

Recently, there has been a new trend which has worked its way into the fitness industry. This trend is called High Intensity Interval Training or simply ‘HIIT’. This trend involves doing short bouts of intense training followed by a period of rest. This is a different approach to a Steady State Exercise, like running on the treadmill for 30 minutes.

The benefits of HIIT are numerous and should be worked into everyone’s exercise regime if their goal is to lose weight, train specifically for sport, or even just to become fitter!

HIIT training is tough and, if you are a beginner, it may be a little too tough. For those just starting out with exercise, it would be best to start at a low intensity and slowly increase the intensity over time. Once you feel conditioned enough, you can jump into the ‘HIIT’ training.

You might have heard the old tale, “to burn fat you need to work at a low intensity for 30 minutes or more”. This is simply not the case any more. In a study completed by Tremblay et al. (1994) it was shown that individuals who completed HIIT burned 2 times as much fat as those completing endurance training.

HIIT is also great for those who are time poor. You can complete some great HIIT workouts in a short amount of time and burn more calories too!

HIIT programs don’t have to be complicated. They can be as simple as 5 burpees, 10 push ups, 15 squat jumps, 30 mountain climbers and a 100m run, and as many repetitions of this pattern as you can complete in 10 minutes. That is sure to get the heart rate up and the fat burning. And the best part about it is, it takes up little time out of your day, so there’s no excuse!

References

A. Tremblay, J.A. Simoneau and C. Bouchard, Impact Of Exercise Intensity On Body Fatness And Skeletal Muscle Metabolism, 43 (1994), pgs 814-818.

This may seem almost impossible. Eating healthy when the kids are home from school and you have limited time to eat healthy yourself! There are ways around it, you just have to find them! Here are some tips on how to eat healthy with the kids are home:

1. Pre-plan

This one may seem strange. You don’t usually think about eating until you get hungry right?

The best way to avoid eating unhealthy is to plan your meals for the next few days. Set out what you are going to eat and follow that. Writing it down is just as important, as it reminds you daily of what your end-goals are!

2. Pre-prepare

Pre-prepare your meals! Once you have planned out your food, pre prepare your food. Cook or prepare a few days’ worth of meals as this helps you avoid the excuse of ‘I’m too tired to cook’.

3. Eat meals together

Eating meals such as dinner at home with the kids is another fantastic way to eat healthy. Cook a big healthy meal for the whole family and be healthy together! On the plus side if you have extra it can be used for lunch the next day!

4. Make meals fun

If you don’t like eating the same meals every day and think that eating healthy is ‘boring’, then you need to change the way you view food! There are many fantastic websites that provide healthy recipes and give different ideas for meals, to make them different and fun for everyone!

5. Avoid preservatives and chemicals

These days preservatives and chemicals can be seen across the shopping centre. The best way to avoid these is to stick to whole foods. Fresh meat, vegetables and fruits are the best option. With packaged foods, it’s simple. Read the nutrition label and read the ingredients. These ingredients will either list a whole bunch or chemicals or all the natural ingredients included!

Finding time to exercise when the kids are home from school or on holidays can seem like mission impossible. At the end of the day, the ‘lack of time’ excuse is just that, an excuse. With 24 hours in a day, 30 minutes of exercise makes up 1/48^th of your day. Not a massive amount of time is it?

Here are some ways you can find some time to exercise when the kids are home:

1. Involve the kids

You don’t want your kids sitting in front of the TV the whole time they are home right? Of course not! Get them involved! It’s beneficial for you and them! Take them for a walk or down to the park. Make it fun and enjoyable and your whole family will love exercise (Novotney, 2010).

2. Wake up earlier

You have no time to exercise right but you still manage to sleep 7-8 hours a night right? Waking up just a mere 30 minutes earlier before the kids are up will allow you to get your daily exercise in! It will be out of the way and you will be feeling 110% for the entire day! The first few days will be tough but once you get through those you will look forward to the morning exercise!

3. Complete home workouts after the kids are asleep

If you prefer exercising in the afternoon or night, exercising after the kids are asleep is another option! Take turns with your partner watching the kids so you can exercise or if you don’t want to leave the house, complete a home workout! Its only 30 minutes of your time. To improve your health, that’s not a big investment!

4. Find a gym with a kids area

This one may require you to do some research but there are gyms in this day and age that have kids’ areas. Your kids will be supervised the entire time you are working out, allowing you to focus 100% on yourself!

5. Put it in your schedule

Create a schedule and place exercise into it. Once it’s in your schedule you’ll be more inclined to complete it! It will eventually become as routine as everything else you do and you’ll be improving your health by the day!

References
Novotney, A. (2010). “Fitting in fitness”. American Psychological Association, January, 36.

Getting back into training after the Christmas/New Year’s break seems like a target for a lot of the population. For everyone, starting is the hardest part. Getting your butt off that couch after eating a lot more during Christmas seems like a massive challenge. But once you do, you will realise how much better you feel day in, day out! There are a variety of ways to get back into training in the New Year both in and out of the gym:

1. Set Goals

Goals are one the most important parts of getting back into exercise. Without goals you would be aimlessly walking on the gym floor or treadmill. Goals do not have to massive scary goals. Little goals can help us follow a path to a major target. For example aiming to exercise 3 times this week to help lead to a 6 month goal of 15kg weight loss.

2. Find a gym partner

Finding someone to train with, whether it’s a husband, wife or best friend, can boost enjoyment levels during exercise. When training with a partner it will keep you more accountable as you have another person relying on you. It also allows you to combine socialising and exercise (Novotney, 2010). Training with a partner can also alleviate the fear associated with exercising alone as you two are going on the journey together!

3. Stay consistent

Consistency is key! There is no way around it. There is no quick fix. The more often you do it the easier it will become. It doesn’t take long to build a new habit. So it won’t be long until exercise becomes a part of your daily routine and you will be on your way to a healthier you!

4. Involve the family

If you have a big family and struggle to find that alone time, don’t give up. Involve the family! Take the kids down to the park, go for a walk together or even just kick the footy around. Get the whole family moving and become healthy together!

5. Enjoy exercise

The most important part of exercise is to find a type of exercise you enjoy. There are so many different ways to exercise that is doesn’t have to be boring, Give different types a go and see what you like. You won’t know if you don’t try!

References
Novotney, A. (2010). “Fitting in fitness”. American Psychological Association, January, 36.

Christmas has come and gone again. The time period where everyone seems to gorge on food is over. Its 2016 and it’s now time to make some changes! Do you feel like you have gained a bit during the break? Well, then here are some tips about how to go about losing the holiday weight:

1. Stay positive

Having a positive attitude is just as important as anything else. If you stay positive you will achieve positive results! If you talk yourself down and surround yourself with negativity, it won’t be long until you don’t feel like exercising or improving your health!

2. Change your mindset

Your mindset can affect how well you go with improving your lifestyle. You have to realise you have plenty of time to exercise and that eating healthy isn’t as hard as you think. You are only limited by the invisible barriers which your mind creates!

3. Replace the unhealthy snacks

Snacking around Christmas is one of the easiest ways to gain those few extra kilos. Not saying completely cut out the snacks, just replace them with healthier ones. Snacks like nuts, fruit, yoghurt or even vegetable sticks. If you struggle to get rid of the sugary snacks, wean yourself off them. Have less and less each week and save them only for special occasions!

4. Build a routine

Building a routine is the best way to lose the holiday weight. Add exercise into your daily routine, allow time for cooking and planning meals. Once you put this in your routine, if you keep it up it will become like second nature! You won’t even think twice before exercising or eating healthy!