We are very excited to be collaborating with our good friend and bootcamper Michaella Portelli, nutritionist and creator of Her Pure Life. For those who have signed up for our Lake Burley Beach Club 3 month special, you'll be lucky enough to be receiving fortnightly nutrition tips and recipes from Her Pure Life, so we thought we'd take this opportunity for you to find out a little more about Michaella and how Her Pure Life can help you! Without further adieu we introduce to you Michaella from Her Pure Life...

Tell us a little bit about yourself... HOLA! So as most of you know by now - my name is Michaella! I clearly LOVE all things health and fitness and concurrently HATE when people bad mouth "healthy" food because they think it is boring and gross - without even giving it a chance! HEY - kale has feelings too ;) I love sharing my knowledge and passion for health and fitness with those around me, which is what probed me to start my own healthy food Instagram account and blog!

Though, enough of the food for now! Some things you may not know about me are:

I am a born and bred CanberranI have a pet dog called Dakota and she is a HuskyXGerman Shepherd and YES she is as cute as she sounds!I am one of those weird people who can't just sit around and watch TV all day. I must always be doing something!

Why did you get into nutrition? I have always loved food and cooking from a young age! When I was around 10, my mum enrolled myself, my sister and my cousins in a cooking class during the school holidays, which we did for a few years and it was always the highlight for me!

As I got older and I was exposed to more means of communication which expressed the importance of nutrition, I naturally gravitated towards nutritious foods and fell in love with nutrition! It was something which fulfilled my love for food and cooking, whilst also appealing to my interest in science, which I did a lot of whilst in college! DISCLAIMER: Those thinking of undertaking a nutrition degree should be warned of the heavy chemistry, biology and anatomy background you require!

The concept that I could control my health through food (and not drugs) was something that really appealed to me and I wanted to learn more about this and then share it all!What's your philosophy for good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle? Good nutrition is balance. It provides you with the fuel to keep your body working at its optimal potential, it provides you with satisfaction as you take each bite, it is not scrutinising ourselves for eating something "unhealthy", it is a social experience as we share a meal with family and friends and most importantly it is unique to each individual.

A really important concept I took away from my nutrition degree is that we are all individuals, who live individual lifestyles, have individual health problems, have individual preferences and have individual personalities. These all contribute to our nutritional behaviours and preferences.

Good nutrition and subsequently, health, begins with knowing yourself. Knowing what you do and don't like, knowing what you will be able to truly commit to (not just for 12 months - but for life) and knowing what health problems you are currently suffering from which need particular attention. From here I think education on what nutritious foods are and what foods are not so nutritious is important, so that you can begin to make innate decisions. It can be SO hard to find a straightforward answer these days, thanks to the array of conflicting information we are exposed to. But plain and simply nutritious foods are those which have been minimally processed, are fresh and colourful, have less then 10 ingredients and have a short used by date! On the other hand, not so nutritious foods, are those which are heavily processed, packed with words you are afraid to pronounce and have a list of ingredients longer then your arm. Once we are educated, all we need to do is make the time to create healthy meals and find the enjoyment of cooking and eating fresh, homemade meals! Which trust me - is so much easier then you think!

What's your favourite meal and guilty pleasure? I am a MAJOR sweet tooth so pretty much anything sweet is my favourite meal! But if I was to nail it down, I love a good Goodberries sesh!

What's your least favourite food? I am really not a big fan of stew ... even the name sounds gross!

What is Her Pure Life and how will you be helping our G-Trainers in the Lake Burley Griffin Beach Club? First off, I am so excited to be teaming up with G-Train and their Summer Bootcamp Program and can't wait to help you reach your goals!

All G-Trainers who have signed up to the G-Train Lake Burley Griffin Beach Club bootcamp receive 20% of the following services:

Initial Consultations3-day Food Diary AnalysisPersonalised Meal PlansEvent Catering

Her Pure life can also help you with...

Weight loss and weight managementNutritional deficienciesGeneral healthy eating advice for a busy lifestyleHealthy eating advice for an active lifestyleFamily nutrition and fussy childrenMeal planningManaging emotional and boredom eatingSports nutrition for performance and recovery

Additionally, I have recently started a business called +H2O, which consists of a range of dry products with no added sugars, colours or flavours and can all be made by simply, JUST ADDING WATER. The products I currently have on offer are:

Good Morning Overnight Oats Sweet & Spicy Chai Latte Creamy Cinnamon & Cacao Hot Chocolate Salted Caramel & Cinnamon Bliss Ball Mix Choc Coco Bliss Ball Mix Cheeky Chia Cup

All can be purchased from my website, www.herpurelife.com, though please let me know if you would like a single serve sample and I can give you a taster if you are curious!

All G-Trainers who have signed up to the G-Train Lake Burley Griffin Beach Club bootcamp will receive 10% of all +H2O orders! On top of all this I am here to be your go-to-girl for any nutrition related questions, queries, concerns or clarifications! I love talking about the topic and love when I can share my knowledge with others, so either come say hey at class and we can have a chat or shoot me an email to herpurelife@gmail.com. Whatever it is, no question is a silly question and I am here to support you through this challenge and help you reach and SMASH your goals! Kale Kisses & Healing Hugs, Michaella xo

You can’t go past a delicious hot pizza while watching a movie or after a hard day at work! Today we are sharing one of our favourite pizza base recipes, which helps to cut down the starchy carbs and also give you a healthy dose of veggies.

By using low carbohydrate veggies broccoli and cauliflower combined with low GI quinoa we’ve got a good balance of smart carbs.

What is low GI?

“All carbohydrate foods break down to glucose, which then enters the bloodstream. This glucose is then used for energy. Research has shown that different carbohydrates raise blood glucose levels (BGL’s) at different rates due to the varying absorption and digestion of each food. This concept is referred to as the Glycemic Index (GI).

The Glycemic Index is a ranking of carbohydrate foods according to how quickly they raise BGL’s. Carbohydrate foods with a high GI break down quickly during digestion and produce larger rises in BGL’s. The rate of increase in BGL’s is faster and the peak in BGL’s is higher. Carbohydrate foods with a low GI break down slowly during digestion and produce smaller rises in BGL’s. The rate of increase is slower and the peak in BGL’s is lower. A number of factors determine a food’s GI: the starch content and type, fat content, method of processing, acidity, type of fibre and more….. It is important to remember that just because a food has a low GI it does not mean you can eat a lot of it.”

Broccoli, Cauliflower and Quinoa Pizza base

What you need…

· Approx ¼ - ½ of a head of cauliflower (depending on how big the cauliflower is) · x1 large head of broccoli (remove the stork) · ¾ of a cup of cooked quinoa · X2 large eggs · Handful of mozzarella · Salt and Pepper

Equipment….

· Food processor / bullet blender · Microwave · Clean tea towel · Mixing bowl · Oven · Your hands!

What to do…

1. Chop up your broccoli and cauliflower into chunks and microwave in a microwave safe dish for approx 5 mins. Once cooked through allow to cool for a few mins.

2. In batches, blitz up your cooked broccoli and cauliflower into a grain/rice like consistency.

3. Once all blitzed up you'll need to wring out your broccoli and cauliflower in a clean tea towel to squeeze out the excess water.

4. Once you’ve got out as much liquid as possible, grab a mixing bowl and add your broccoli, cauliflower, eggs, cooked quinoa, mozzarella, salt and pepper and mix until combined.

5. Bring together with your hands, forming a bit of ball with your hands then transfer to a baking tray lined with paper and carefully press out with your fingers into a round pizza base.

6. Bake in a hot oven for approx 5-10 mins until slightly golden, then add your favourite toppings and enjoy. We added prosciutto, capsicum, olives and mozzarella.

It may be a little crumbly but it is a yummy alternative to your traditional pizza base, why not give it a try!

Gav & Tiff

This week we are getting to know another hardworking bootcamper – introducing Debbie! For those who don’t know Debbie she comes to class everyday with a big smile on her face and is one our most dedicated bootcampers - she will give anything ago and never gives up. Debbie joined G-Train in late 2016 and has decided to share her story with you, so without further ado, it’s time to get up close and personal and hand it over to Debbie. Happy reading and don’t forget to say hi if you see her in class!

Gav & Tiff

Tell us a little bit about yourself...

I grew up in Canberra, but have also lived in the UK for a little while. I currently work in education, so spend a fair bit of my day sitting. It is my plan to one day move to Tasmania and open a bed and breakfast. In my spare time I like to go out for coffee, visit markets, look at houses to get ideas to renovate mine, experiment with cooking and take part in fun runs.

Why did you join bootcamp?

I like to try and keep fit, but I am not a fan of gyms or exercising indoors, so G-Train was a natural solution. I like the freedom of being outdoors, and exercising in all weathers. My favourite is definitely the cold frosty mornings. I also like the randomness of never knowing where you will end up when you arrive for a session, or what you will doing. Despite my moaning about the possibility of ‘those stairs’ I still have fun and give it a go, or ask for an alternative. I also chose bootcamp for the variety of exercises; encouraging, non-judgemental trainers to help keep me on track; and people of all different fitness levels and ages coming together as a team to support each other so no one gets left behind.

What is your ultimate goal?

I have two ultimate fitness goals. 1- Lose the 15 kgs I stacked on over the past two years; and 2- Improve my running. I was much heathier and fitter when I was lighter so I need to get my act together and focus!

Tell us about your achievements so far

While I feel fitter and a stronger, there has not been much change to the scales – but numbers aren’t everything (so I tell myself). My achievements since G-Train, are evident in my Parkrun times - I am getting faster each run and able to push myself to get some fast kms up (for me). I am also able to lift heavier weights in class.

What's your biggest challenge?

Staying on track – especially with food! I need someone to regularly nag me.

How will you celebrate once you've ultimate goal?

It will probably involve a bottle of champagne and some new clothes. Fitness wise (while it may seem like a crazy way to celebrate) I might see if Gav and Tiff will tie 15 kg to me so I can remember what it used to feel like.

This week we’ll be taking a little break from our favourite recipes and getting to know a little bit about a few of our fellow G-Trainers again - after all how well do you really know who you’re running alongside or partnered with for boxing!

Michael from our morning bootcamp crew has spilled the beans on an upcoming adventure he will be completing with his wife Emily, good mates Kieran, James and Gordon.

For those who don’t know Michael, he’s an energetic, enthusiastic and friendly bootcamper who loves to give anything a go. During the day he is an IT consultant but when he’d not working he’s busy competing in adventure races and enjoying the great outdoors. In fact we don’t know how he fits it all in, in the past 7 years he has completed a number of races including:

Geoquest (Half and Full), XPD, Mont 24hr MTB, Scott 24hr MTB, Kowalski Classic, Tathra Enduro, Capital Punishment, Tough Mudder, Spartan Beast, Tough Bloke Challenge, Black Hawk Challenge, Urban Polaris, Sri Chinmoy Triple Tri and Rogaines.

I think it’s safe to say nothing holds him back, in fact his philosophy is simple “every race is a training session for the next”.

Now we’ll hand it over to Michael to tell us a little bit more about upcoming adventure…..

On the Queen's Birthday weekend three G-Trainers will put their skills to the test in the annual Geoquest adventure race, navigating over 120km of mountain biking, trekking and kayaking in 24 hours (or less!) as a team. The course is a secret until the day before, and is provided as a series of maps that must be followed using a compass (no GPS!) to find a series of checkpoints. The team is Resultz Racing and consists of myself, Kieran, Emily, and good mate Gordon, with James providing cheerful support at each transition throughout the race. This will be the first adventure race for Kieran and Gordon, and only the second long race for Emily, so they have been working hard to improve their endurance for the event. Luckily Gav and Tiff have been setting some challenging sessions recently, which means we will be ready for whatever the race throws at us, especially if it is frog burpees :)

To follow their progress the race starts on June 10th in Sawtell NSW, with live tracking of teams at http://geoquest.com.au/, and updates posted to the Resultz facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ResultzPtyLtd/.

If you see Michael or his crew in class don’t forget to say hello, wish them luck with their upcoming adventure or have a chat their next challenge!

Gav & Tiff

One of our favourite foods is good ol’ peanut butter (aka PB). You can’t go past a crusty piece of toast with PB or a sneaky spoonful straight out of the jar!

In today’s blog we are sharing probably the easiest and best recipe you’ll ever need – homemade peanut butter (ok maybe we are a little biased).

Remember, if you want us to give one of your recipes a go, we love a challenge, so send them through and we’ll document and share them with your fellow G-Trainers.

Before we go through the recipe, we’ve already mentioned how much we love peanut butter, but is it good for you? Good news, when consumed in moderation, it can be good for you!

“Peanut butter is considered a source of healthy fats as on average, more than 80% of the fat in peanut butter is the healthy polyunsaturated and monounsaturated types. These types of fats are good to include in your diet as they are associated with better heart health and help the body to absorb fat soluble vitamins. On the other hand, some peanut butters can contain added salt, sugar and additives so choosing one with a high content of peanuts helps maximize the nutritional value of the product……choosing a 100% peanut product will give you the best nutritional value, while flavour and taste of course are up the individual! However, peanut butter is a source of healthy fats and can be included as a nutritious spread on toast or bread in a 20gram portion.”

Another important rule when buying peanut butter is the fewer ingredients, the better. Some brands like to make their pb taste better with added sugar and vegetable oils so make sure you read the labels. Our favourite brands are mayvers, mother nature and pics as they use just peanuts and a little pinch of salt.

Homemade peanut butter

What you need…

About 400g of good quality roasted unsalted peanuts.

Equipment….

An empty jar (sterilised so it doesn’t taint your precious PB).Food processor/bullet blender.

What to do…

Simply pour your peanuts into a food processor/blender and blitz for about 20 seconds. A fine crumb should start to form – if you are a crunchy peanut butter fan then take a few tablespoons of your crumb out and set aside.Blend again for approximately 90 secs to 2 minutes until smooth. If you set aside some of the initial crumbs then stir them through, then spoon into an empty jar and enjoy!

Note: You can add a pinch of salt to taste, however we like it 100% natural!!

So there you have it, homemade PB, so easy and so yummy, give it a go!

Gav & Tiff

We like to post photos of our favourite foods and people quite often ask us for the recipes, so over the next few weeks we’ll be sharing some of our favourite recipes. We’ll be sharing some of our favourite sweet and savoury recipes with you, but also encourage you to share yours with us and we can give it a go too - it’s all about sharing the love!

This week’s recipe is slow cooked pulled pork from I Quit Sugar, which is a great accompaniment for salads, tacos, sandwiches, wraps and/or veggies. It’s soooo easy, delicious and also a healthy source of protein.

Slow cooked pulled pork

What you need…

1.5-1.8kg piece of boneless pork shoulder1/2 cup of beef stock1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar1 tin of diced tomatoes2-3 bay leaves2 cloves of garlic, crushed (you can use garlic infused oil if you can’t tolerate garlic)3 teaspoons of smoked paprika2 teaspoons of chilli flakes2 teaspoons of fennel seeds1 teaspoon of ground cuminA good pinch of salt and grind of pepper.

What to do…

Using a sharp knife remove the layer of fat (the thick white outer layer) and set aside your pork shoulder in a dish.Mix together your paprika, chilli flakes, fennel seeds, cumin, garlic, salt and pepper then rub all over the pork so it’s evenly coated. Refrigerate for a few hours or even overnight for the flavours to really get in there.When ready to cook, take the pork out of the fridge and set aside for 30 minutes, allowing it to come to room temperature. Transfer to your slow cooker and then add your beef stock, apple cider vinegar, diced tomatoes and bay leaves, pop your lid on and cook on low for approx. 6-7 hours (or even overnight).You’ll know it’s ready when it falls apart when poked with a fork. Remove and shred with tongs and/or a fork and enjoy!

We like to add it our lunches, dinners or even eat it straight out of the dish. Our favourite combos are:

Pulled pork saladBuritto bowls (with salad and rice)TacosStuffed potatoes with veggies.

Why not give it a go and let us know what you think and remember if you’ve got something yummy with us to try send it through and we’ll give it a go!

Gav & Tiff

Life can be busy, we get it. Whether you’re flat chat with work or family commitments, it can be hard to stay on track with your diet or fitness goals, so this week we thought we’d share how we the trainers maintain a healthy and balanced diet and lifestyle with a busy life.

If you haven’t read our previous blogs you may not know that aside from running bootcamp and personal training we both have full time jobs and yes fitting everything into our lives and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be a challenge for us.

So here it goes, a little insight in how we get through our lives!

Write a list…

Some may think writing lists or mapping out your week, fortnights or months are dorky, but not us we love them. Each Sunday we like to make a plan of what workouts or bootcamps we’ll do for the week and also make a list of meals for the week. Making a plan helps you to stay in control and on track with your diet and fitness goals, however it is important to be realistic and not pack too much into your life.

Besides you can’t beat that smug satisfaction you get when ticking it off your completed tasks, so why don’t give it ago.

Meal prep for success…

You've probably seen it on Facebook or Instagram and heard us mention it a few times too, well it's not a fad - we believe meal prepping is definitely our key to success. Yes it takes a little bit of time to build up an awesome Tupperware collection, shop for the ingredients and prepare it all at the start of the week but once you’ve done it just think of all the time you’ve saved wondering what you'll eat for lunch or dinner or strolling through the aisles working out what to make each day for dinner or lunch. It also saves you money and will probably help you to choose healthy options rather than unhealthy fast foods, which let’s face it can be expensive.

Let’s catch up…

If you’re a social butterfly and love catching up with your friends like us, then why not set up exercise dates rather than eating or drinking dates. Sometimes it’s hard to fit in a workout, which is why we love an evening walk around the lake or early morning run to catch up - in fact some of our best G-Train ideas come from going for a walk after class, the fresh air and endorphins help us think straight, we’re not consuming excess amount of calories with alcohol or food and we get to fit in a workout for ourselves.

Listen to your body….

Making sure we’re not running ourselves into the ground is also just as important as eating healthy and working out. Listen to your body, if you’re feeling tired or sore make sure you incorporate rest days into your routine. Getting a good night’s sleep is also key for making sure your body has time to recover and re-fuel, so don’t skimp on a sleep in every now and then.

So there you go, it may sound simple but sometimes you have to keep it simple for healthy lifestyle success, why not take a leaf out of our book and give it a go?

Below is one of our favourites - Thai Beef Salad all boxed up and ready to go for the week ahead!

Gav & Tiff

Coming into the festive season we thought it was timely to talk alcohol, how many calories we are consuming and our tips to survive the festive season. We all enjoy saying cheers with a little drink in hand, which is fine in moderation but do you know how many calories you’re consuming? Furthermore, is there such thing as a healthy alcoholic drink?

Quite simply no, there isn’t really a healthy alcoholic beverage, this is because alcohol has little to no nutrients and ultimately leads to weight gain. “Alcohol is different from other energy sources because it cannot be stored and has little nutrients. When you drink, your body will use alcohol as its preferred fuel source, meaning you stop burning body fat as a source of energy, and store any food you may have eaten as fat.”(Taken from http://mapi.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/saywhen/know-the-facts/consequences-of-drinking-alcohol-and-body-weight)

Alcohol also contains a lot more calories than you might expect and can be quite a setback when you’re trying to lose weight. This table compares alcohol and its food equivalent (we’ve provided an indication of the calories associated with these foods).

(Taken from http://mapi.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/saywhen/know-the-facts/consequences-of-drinking-alcohol-and-body-weight)

To put this table all into perspective it would take approx. 90-95 burpees to burn off 100 calories!

How many calories are in your favourite drinks….

Now that we’ve compared alcohol with some of your favourite foods, you’re probably still wondering how many calories are in your favourite drinks. Last week The Huffington Post released an article which help to break down some popular drinks, which you might find helpful when heading out…

Kilojoules (kj’s) and Calories (cal’s) in popular alcoholic beverages

Dark spirits

· Jim Beam Black Label and Cola Cans 375ml, 1.8 standard drinks – 1099 kj / 263 cal

· Jack Daniel's Whiskey & Cola Cans 375ml, 1.5 standard drinks – 1069 kj / 255 cal

· Bundaberg U.P. Rum and Cola Cans 375ml, 1.4 standard drinks – 998 kj / 238 cal

· Wild Turkey Bourbon and Cola Cans 375ml, 1.5 standard drinks – 977 kj / 233 cal

· Johnnie Walker Red Label and Cola Cans 375ml, 1.4 standard drinks – 971 kj/ 232 cal

Light spirits

· Smirnoff Ice Double Black Cans 375ml, 1.9 standard drinks – 1069 kj/ 255 cal

· Gordons Elderflower Spritz Bottle 500ml, 1.6 standard drinks – 1015 kj / 243 cal

· UDL Vodka and Raspberry Cans 375ml, 1.2 standard drinks – 971 kj’s / 232 cal

· Smirnoff Raspberry Sorbet Pouch 250ml, 0.9 standard drinks – 955 kj / 228 cal

· Smirnoff Lemon Sorbet Pouch 250ml, 0.9 standard drinks – 950 kj / 227 cal

Cider

· James Squire Orchard Crush Apple Cider 500ml, 1.3 standard drinks – 875 kj / 209 cal

· Bulmers Original Cider Bottle 500ml, 1.9 standard drinks – 870 kj/ 208 cal

· Somersby Apple Cider Bottle 330ml, 1.2 standard drinks – 868 kj / 207 cal

· Somersby Pear Cider Bottle 330ml, 1.2 standard drinks – 868 kj / 207 cal

· Strongbow Classic Apple Cider Bottle 355ml, 1.4 standard drinks – 767 kj /183 cal

Beer

· Crown Lager Bottle 375ml, 1.4 standard drinks – 641 kj / 153 cal

· Victoria Bitter Bottles 375ml 1.4 standard drinks – 634 kj / 151 cal

· James Boag's Premium Lager, 1.5standard drinks – 623 kj / 148 cal

· Corona Extra Beer 355ml, 1.3 standard drinks – 611 kj / 146 cal

· Carlton Draught Stubbies 375ml, 1.4 standard drinks – 581 kj / 138 cal

Wine

· Red wine 12 % 160ml (average brands), 1.6 standard drinks – 456 kj / 109 cal

· Dry white wine 12 % 160ml (average brands), 1.6 standard drinks – 454 kj / 108 cal

· Sweet white wine 11 % 160ml (average brands), 1.6 standard drinks – 669 kj / 160cal

· Sparkling white 11 % 160ml (average brands), 1.6 standard drinks – 434 kj / 104cal

· Rose 11 % 160ml (average brands), 1.6 standard drinks – 469 kj / 112 cal

· Espresso martini, 1.6 standard drinks -- 1190 kj / 284 cal

(Findings from Cancer Council Victoria. - Taken from the Huffington Post)

G-Train festive season survival tips when having a drink…

With this information we’re not trying to scare you or say “don’t drink”, we simply suggest you know what you’re putting into your body. We all need to enjoy ourselves from time to time and below are some tips on how to avoid getting carried away and surviving the ‘silly’ season:

One for one…

If you are going to have a few drinks, it’s important to stay hydrated so for every alcoholic beverage you consume try to have a big glass of water in the other hand to wash it down or perhaps ask for a nice jug of iced water with lemon so you can stay hydrated in style!

Limit the sugary drinks…

As you see above the sugary drinks are also some of the worst for you so try to limit them and substitute them for something else. You could opt for something like a vodka, soda and lime or lemon, it’s refreshing on a hot day. Soda water is probably one of the safest mixers to choose, don’t be fooled by tonic water – it is actually very high in sugar.

Watch the snack intake…

When you have a drink in hand it’s easy to have a few snacks to go along with it but be weary of the snacks you choose, we tend to crave salty and deep fried foods when drinking alcohol but if you’ve got a few friends around maybe try putting out some carrot and/or celery sticks and hummus or some juicy watermelon and/or pineapple skewers.

Everything in moderation…

While they call it the “silly season”, it doesn’t mean you must be silly every time you drink. Try to remember you can still enjoy yourself in moderation, if you’re away on holidays try to be nice to yourself and include at least 2-3 days a week of no alcohol, your waistline and general health will thank you for it!

In conclusion, know what you’re putting into your body. Over the festive season we want you to enjoy yourselves, however remember that balance is the key. A balanced festive season will also assist with the first week back for Bootcamp 2017… :)

Gav, Tiff & Haylee

Information taken from:

-http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/11/22/heres-how-many-calories-are-in-your-favourite-alcoholic-drinks/?utm_hp_ref=au-drink

-http://mapi.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/saywhen/know-the-facts/consequences-of-drinking-alcohol-and-body-weight

Mental illness affects so many us of, according to Beyond Blue 3 million Australians are living with depression or anxiety. Following R U OK day last week, we thought we’d investigate how exercise can play a play a part in improving your mental health.

When you’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed or a little bit down, sometimes exercising is the last thing you want to be doing. So can coming to bootcamp or exercising really make you feel better when you’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed, depressed or anxious? Well quite simply yes!

“Exercise makes you feel good because it releases chemicals like endorphins and serotonin that improve your mood. If you exercise regularly , it can reduce your stress and symptoms of mental health conditions like depression and anxiety, and help with recovery from mental health issues.”http://www.mindhealthconnect.org.au/exercise-and-mental-health

Endorphins are chemicals produced by the brain that make you feel good. Serotonin acts like little transmitters and is responsible for carrying these endorphins around your body. So by exercising you’re getting these chemicals going thus making you feel good.

Whilst this is all very technical is there actually evidence that exercise can benefit your mental health? Put simply yes!

The Black Dog Institute states that….

· "Numerous studies have shown that people who exercise regularly experience fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety than those who do not exercise regularly

· Several trials have shown that regular exercise of moderate intensity can be an effective treatment by itself for mild to moderate depression

· Both aerobic exercise (e.g. brisk walking, cycling or jogging) and resistance or strength training (e.g. weight-lifting) have been found to be beneficial for depression."

http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/public/gettinghelp/exercise.cfm

So when we harp on about how bootcamp is a good stress release and being out in the fresh air makes you feel good, we are actually telling the truth. Next time rather than having a wine, a bag of chips or a block of chocolate when you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed why not throw on some runners and get out and exercise, you’ve got nothing to lose. If you know someone else who is suffering why not invite them to come along to bootcamp or even make a date to go for a walk or run.

If you need further help/information or know someone who suffers from mental illness and needs help, Beyond Blue, R U OK? and The Black Dog Institute are fantastic organisations there to provide help.

Gav, Tiff and Haylee

We all know that feeling of struggling to get up out of a chair or raise your arms to do your hair a day or two after a challenging workout, but why do we feel stiff and sore and how can we relieve the discomfort? In the fitness industry this discomfort is commonly referred to as DOMS or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, something we touched on briefly in our last blog.

The Australian Institute of fitness describes DOMS as “a combination of lactic acid, inflammation, connective tissue damage and muscle spasm. Eccentric muscle loading is the main cause of DOMS, especially in unfamiliar exercises where the muscles aren’t used to the load or stress.”

For some DOMS can take effect a few hours after the workout, a day or even two to three days after the workout. It is particularly common for those who are relatively new to exercise or don’t exercise as regularly as you’ve started using muscles that haven’t been used before or for a while. “In untrained individuals (or athletes who have taken a layoff from training), these two factors are prevalent and they usually experience the most severe cases of DOMS, even if the exercise is relatively mild in intensity.”

Long time bootcampers may not experience DOMS as much as people new to bootcamp as their muscles and brains are more used to the exercises. “Experienced trainers that don't vary their training stimulus regularly are likely to develop excellent motor neuron recruitment and become extremely accustomed to the specific stress applied.”

So now we know what it is, how can we ease the soreness?

Well there’s no simple answer here as everyone’s body is different and listening to how your body reacts to the exercises is the key. For those new to exercises sometimes a rest day or light walk might be required, for those who are more experienced or determined to keep going a massage or rolling helps to give a little relief (you can use a foam roller or even a tennis ball). However, remember at the end of the day like we mentioned in our previous blog - If you don’t factor rest into your training program, you will not maximise your recovery, and your overall performance will suffer. So if you’re too sore to walk chances are a rest day might be a good idea.

Feel free to discuss it more with us before or after class or even drop us an email!

Gav & Tiff

References and a little extra reading: http://fitness.edu.au/the-fitness-zone/article/muscle-soreness-after-the-gym-good-or-bad/

http://fitness.edu.au/the-fitness-zone/article/the-real-reason-you-are-sore-after-the-gym-and-how-to-speed-up-your-recovery/?utm_source=Warriors_World&utm_medium=eNews&utm_campaign=Conversion_Content_july

As promised this week Haylee has broken down the importance of rest in your training routine. But before we jump into it, for those you who haven’t met Haylee, here’s a quick introduction:

Haylee’s fitness journey….

I got into triathlon a few years back and spent many, many hours training and racing. I was always interested in the science of fitness training for racing, so doing fitness/PT courses was a great way to learn about it. Science is also part of my job. I am a scientist and I work on naming and classifying animals (the field is called taxonomy, and I can bore you with the details of it later).

Favourite exercise….

Running. And burpees, because they're a most excellent full-body exercise.

Guilty pleasures…

None of my pleasures are guilty! I'll happily eat a burger while drinking a glass of red wine and listening to 80s pop music, as much as I'll enjoy a tough full-body weights workout or a long ride on a warm summer morning. I'm an 'everything in moderation' person.

Philosophy for life…

Don't be afraid to push yourself a little bit further than you think you can go (in life as well as in fitness).

Ok now that you know a little bit about Haylee, let’s get into the nitty gritty details of the blog, happy reading!

The importance of rest in fitness training

The principle of recovery in fitness training can often seem counter-intuitive to people new to fitness, or those keen to see large improvements in their performance. How does resting make me faster and stronger? It’s an easy answer: we aren’t machines, and it takes time for our bodies to recover from the stresses we subject them to.

If you don’t factor rest into your training program, you will not maximise your recovery, and your overall performance will suffer. Rest and recovery are important physiologically. For example, elite Australian Rules footballers require at least three days to adequately recover from a game, before returning to the heavy training loads to maintain their performance across the playing season (Montgomery & Hopkins 2013).

In resistance training, gains in size and strength of muscles are made via a continuous cycle of damage and repair to muscle fibres. If you work muscles hard (e.g., through high intensity interval training), micro-tears and damage occurs in the fibres as a result of the load on the muscle. The synthesis of new muscle fibres to repair the damage comes about during periods of recovery, where there is an overcompensation of protein synthesis for muscle repair (Hoffman 2014). This leads, over time, to larger muscles. If you train too much, you risk breaking down more muscle tissue than you build because you limit the time for protein synthesis and muscle repair.

Metabolic recovery of muscles is also critical. Fatigued muscles are unable to clear hydrogen ions (as a byproduct of energy production in muscles), or to maintain glycolytic regeneration of ATP (Adenosine triphosphate -the source of energy in muscles) (Minnett & Duffield 2014). Both these things decrease performance, and while they both can be rectified in minutes, both are associated with delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), so a bit of extra rest may be beneficial. Rest is also very important for your brain. Neural pathways are being constantly fired up to recruit muscles and perform exercise. In highly neural activities, such as soccer, it can take up to 24 hours before muscles can produce the same forces as pre-match (Minnett & Duffield 2014).

All elite athletes build rest into their training programs to maximize their recovery, which leads to improvements in their overall performance. Tour de France cyclists have two rest days during their three-week race to enable their bodies to recover (a little). Taking a rest day is OK. In fact, it’s an important part of your training.

References:

Hoffman, J (2014) Physiological aspects of sport training and performance 2nd ed. Human Kinetics, Champaign Illinois.

Minnett, GM & Duffield, R (2014) Is recovery by central or peripheral factors? A role for the brain in recovery following intermittent-sprint exercise. Frontiers in Physiology 5, 24 doi: 10.3389/fphys.2014.00024

Montgomery, PG and Hopkins, WG (2013) The effects of game and training loads on perceptual responses of muscle soreness in Australian Football. International Journal of Sports Physiology & Performance 8, 312-318.

It’s the peak of Winter, you’ve got a runny nose, you’re keen to keep fit but don’t want to be out in the windy cold air. Well we’ve got you covered with this easy body weight workout that you can do in the warmth of your lounge room. It’s a workout you can make your own - you can make it as long, short, hard or easy as you like. All you need is a stopwatch, your legs, arms and core muscles!

Warm up…

It’s important to get your muscles nice and warm before you start your workout, we recommend approx. 5-10mins and you can do this by marching or jogging on the spot and a few rounds of x20 high knees, x20 butt kicks, x5 squats and x5 push ups. Follow up with our normal dynamic stretches on the spot and you’re ready to get moving.

Workout…

Set your timer for 8-10 mins for each round (you can make it as short or long as you like) then cycle through the following exercises continuously, starting with 6 reps of each exercise then 7 reps of each, 8 reps of each and so on until your timer goes off. We recommend a 60-90 second drinks break in between rounds.

Round 1 Exercises:

· Squats

· Burpees

· Push ups

· Toe Touch

· Plank hand taps