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6.30am Before getting out of tone up your pelvic floor muscles with 5 minutes of Kegels

7.00am Roll out of bed and rev up your engine for the 3 sets of 15 free squats

7.15am Give your   vitamin D levels a good boost with a15 minute walk in the sun

7.30am Have a light nutritious breakfast of high quality easily digestible protein and complex carbs

8.30am Take the stairs at work

10.30am Have a nutritious mid morning snack such as a piece non starchy fruit and a small handful of raw nuts ( e.g Almonds), or seeds ( e.g sunflower, and/ or pumpkin) or protein bar and green tea

2.00pm climb the stairs again

3.00am snack of fruit and nuts

Between 4.00pm and 6.00pm Take another 30-45 minutes of exercise either cardio, weights, core, flexibility or a combination

Yours in health,

Nancy

Take heart you are not alone. Perhaps you are pulling in the belt a bit as we all are at the moment, or should be or have no gym is available near where you live, or you have an injury or disability that prevents you from going to a gym and you’re keen to start a n exercise program. You can still do so.

You can exercise under the guidance of qualified fitness professionals in the comfort of your own home, save on gym fees, be able to tailor make your programme to fit you own individual needs, change that programme as often as you like, become your own expert, get advice on line and share your experience and queries with an exercise community on the net if you choose.

So choose your own training hours fit around your own schedule and lifestyle, don’t worry about whether you’ve combed your hair or have to get into the latest training gear, create your own exercise programme customised to your own personal needs, without having to leave home to get the strength, cardio fitness, and flexibility you are after and the wellbeing that goes with it.

If you are interested in any of these benefits come visit our website at www.flexibilityplus.com and find out more.

Yours in health,
Nancy

I was talking to a friend the other day and she was telling me about a woman she knew who was taking part in a triathlon after getting on a bike for the first time in her life just a few months before. She had never been fit, and had never taken part in anything like this in her life. Not being particularly competitive by nature nor having any belief that her body could do what she was now putting it through to prepare for this event she surprised herself, her family and friends. Even her harshest critics were murmuring their admiration.

She was so inspired after hearing about another woman who had overcome all sorts of obstacles to complete this challenge. She put down the remote control and got cracking on figuring out a way to what to her was seemingly impossible. She focussed whole heartedly on the desired our come a slim, svelte body that she could do all sorts of things with most especially have the energy to enjoy her young boys in.

She got her self a trainer who helped her work out a training schedule, she discovered about healthy eating, threw out everything from her kitchen that sabotaged her efforts. Her trainer helped her put together and training eating plan and she had her partner and kids cheering her on. When she first started it seemed like her muscles wouldn’t stop screaming at her but with the help of her trainer urging her on, in time they gave up their protest and she began to feel and energy and aliveness and a sense of satisfaction in her accomplishing about what she was asking of her body to do each day. She began to fee comfortableness in her own skin that she had scarcely experienced since childhood and she actually began looking forward to her daily workout.

On the day of the race she was so excited she could barely wait for the start gun to sound. Her elation when she crossed the finish line was a high water mark in her year, the spin offs have been immense she never misses a workout if she can help it even after reaching her target weight, the sheer pleasure of keeping her body, fit, strong and flexible keeps her motivated and she is so grateful.

Feeling like this is a choice. Its’ taking one step and then another step and then another step until you accomplish your goal and have the satisfaction that goes with it. We invite you to take a look at the products we’ve created from our experience, passion, knowledge about the benefits you can derive from fitness. To learn more go to www.flexibilityplus.com.

Yours in health,

Nancy

“What you talking about Nancy, it’s mid summer already, past the longest day and all and you’re talking getting into shape for Summer?” ” Well ya, ‘cause the best of summer is yet to come.”

So here goes:

1.    Put your walking shoes on, slip into cool comfortable clothes, grab your ipod, the dog, friend or lover and hit the pavement, park, or walking trail and MOVE. 10 minutes is all you need to get cracking, work it up to 45 minutes to an hour over time!  Once you’ve worked up to the hour and whenever you have no time, say to yourself - haven’t got the full hour today, but I can squeeze in ten minutes. Go back to the longer workout as soon as you can. If you and your body are up for it quicken the pace and jog or run for extra cardio benefit.

2.    If it’s wet or too windy outside you can find a pair of indoor stairs can’t you. Walk the stairs. Problem knees?

3.    No sweat, hop on the treadmill at the local gym. Can’t afford a membership? Offer the owners a skill you have that they might need.

4.     Too hot outside? Find a cool pool and do enough laps to get you puffing.

5.    Any recreational sport you can do with friends or family on a fine day all count as cardio building exercise, so grab a ball, a Frisbee, or those roller blades that are gathering dust in the attic and get out there.

6.    Give the kids a run for their money on the monkey bars, the climbing wall, the rope ladder, have a push up contest with the teenagers while you’re waiting your turn and round it off with a three legged race for a bit of fun, conditioning your heart, lungs and muscles while you’re at it

7.    Speaking of things gathering dust in the attic, what about those hand held weights, or the 10 tier dumbbell set from your girlfriend last Xmas that’s now become a substitute rag rack in the garage. Uncover it, start with lighter weights, yup not the ones you were lifting last winter when you put your back out, the light ones, much lighter. And start lifting. Remember not only will you gain more muscle, relax ladies you won’t end up looking like Arnold, you will gain shapely definition and although the scales may read heavier, since muscle weighs more than fat, you will get leaner and fit you clothes better, because muscle burns fat!

8.     Dig your exercise ball out if you have one, if not, why not? And start strengthening that core musculature or abs and find the six pack hiding under the beer pack. Your back will thank you for it.

9.    Relax your body and sharpen your mind with a bit of dawn or dusk Tai Chi in the park , go on grab your friends and take turns leading

10.    Finally increase your balance, poise and flexibility with some good stretching sessions, alone or with a partner

For ideas on how to put together a super, cost and time effective routine incorporating all these concepts see our products on www.flexibilityplus.com

If you get on the move and in the groove you’ll be lookin and feelin great this summer and all year round!

Cheers,

Nancy

Even if you don’t have the hour; the 45 minutes or even the 30 minutes, there’s no excuse to totally for go your exercise completely. Even as little as 15 or even10 minutes of brisk walking, stretching or weight training will make a difference. Remember the effects of exercise are cumulative so every little bit counts. And you know what’s interesting once you get up and on the move you rarely just do the 10 minutes that was all you thought you had time for. Because once you are up and out of that chair with each minute of exercise you gain more momentum and the joy of working towards achievement of your fitness goals, or even more basic than that the wellbeing you feel from just the deep breathing involved, the sun or wind on your face if you’re training outside, etc. means you’re in the groove and just feel like keep going.

If all you really have is ten minutes between appointments and you haven’t time to get outside or the weather isn’t being cooperative ten minutes to limber up with some simple stretching exercises will do you a world of good. For ideas see our products on our website www.flexibilityplus.com.

Cheers,
Nancy

Yesterday I talked about being flexible in your training, allowing yourself to change your exercise program to suit your changing circumstances.
In my twenties and thirties I was focused on increasing my strength through lifting heavier weights on a progressive basis. Right now, my focus is far more on cardio fitness, flexibility and core strength, incorporating exercises to specifically improve my surfing performance.
This doesn’t mean that a person can’t keep the same focus with their training, as each of us needs to train in a manner that they enjoy, whether that means sticking to the same program year after year, or regularly changing their routine.
Whatever exercise system works for you, the main ingredient is to keep doing it!
Having said that, don’t fall into the trap of giving yourself too much to achieve. You need to create routines that are simple and easy to achieve. As you get fitter, stronger, more agile and flexible, then you can look at adding more to your program.
You are far better off to start a jogging program that has you running for 30 seconds for 5 days a week, then adding another 30 seconds so you jog for 1 minute for the next 5 days, then 1 minute and 30 seconds for the next 5 days, and so on; allowing you to comfortably build up to running for 20 minutes within about 9 months.
This beats going hard out for 10 minutes in your first run, feeling really exhausted, having very sore muscles for three or four days, and then giving up.
Set goals that build a strong foundation, that allow you to sustain exercise for year after year, because you are seeing great results and you are thoroughly enjoying yourself.
All the best
Jonathan
www.flexibilityplus.com

This is a big subject, but I am only going to touch on one aspect of it for now.
What I want to focus on is how your goals will change as you get older.
BUT you do need to have goals of some sort to stay motivated and to train regularly.
Over the previous two years I lost my motivation for surfing after getting hit by my surfboard across the side of my head which perforated my eardrum and took about six weeks to heal. Then I got a painful ear infection which kept me out of the surf for another few weeks, so all in all I was pretty fed up.
This led me to focus more on my martial arts and so I got more into stretching to increase my flexibility for higher kicks.
In an earlier post I talked about getting back into surfing this year, so I won’t go into that again, except to say that right now I am very focused on my surfing as I am really enjoying it.
So, I have developed a new exercise program that focuses a lot on cardio fitness, upper body strength, and core strength, with stretches to maintain my flexibility.
So you can see how my changed circumstances have resulted in my goals being changed.
My overall goal to be fit and healthy hasn’t changed, but how I train has altered to meet my micro goals. This flexible approach to exercising is really important, and is an aspect of training that is often taken for granted.
It is, however, the secret to longevity for your health and fitness, because as you grow older you will find that your circumstances do change, and these changes will affect what you can do.
So, go with the flow, train in a manner that achieves your goals and don’t be stuck in a groove.
Check out www.flexibilityplus.com which provides training methods that allow you to create your own unique personalised exercise program.
Enjoy your training
Jonathan

Cynics might argue that the gym is where one goes to walk nowhere on a tread mill and build muscles one needs little, merely to look at. But, even those of us who think we can live with some extra body fat or less flexibility or even a disease risk will be motivated to exercise when we realize that doing so helps preserve our brains. Modern science has proven that the Greeks knew something 2,500 years ago when they coined the term ‘a sound mind in a sound body’. Recent scientific research has shown us that those workouts at the gym don’t just help you shed excess weight, add pleasing contours to your physique, and put a smile on your face, especially once you’ve hit the shower, but they even help you to think better and keep more of your marbles in play as you age .
Studies show that:

Aerobic exercise physically increases blood supply to the brain and increases brain connections and these correlate with brain function. This is mainly because aerobic exercise, the kind that quickens your heart beat, and improves the health of your heart and lungs, also increases the flow of oxygen rich blood to the brain. Over time this makes a significant difference to the function of the brain.
Walking women keep brains sharper as they age than their sedentary counter parts.

People who were physically fit were  mentally fitter 6 years later than those who were not fit
Exercise improves levels of focus and attention in middle age in those who were physically fit at age 36. This was true also of a group of older exercisers tested whose brain function compared as well with younger adults proving that it is never too late to start!

The brain functions positively affected by exercise include the higher processes of memory, planning, organisation and the ability to juggle different intellectual tasks at the same time.

Conversely adults who lost substantial bone and muscle mass have been shown to be at greater risk for developing dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease) as they age.

Resistance training helps offsets this loss significantly. This is because in a well nourished body, building lean muscle mass causes certain growth factors to be released in response to exercise. This increases the amount of specific brain factors that stimulate growth and repair, especially in the memory centres. This encourages the growth of new brain cells and protects existing brain cells from damage, related to chronic stress and lack of sleep. The increase in these brain factors also results in the formation of a richer network of interconnections among brain cells, which is vital for learning and memory.

In addition to resistance exercise such as weight training and Pilates, cardio exercises like walking, swimming, rowing, and biking have proven valuable in raising the brain factor levels that help us preserve our higher brain functions , suggesting that any sort of physical activity is good for brain building.

While the same pattern of activity (e.g daily walking) is fine for keeping the body conditioned, for the brain to remain in peak condition cross training with an often changing and diverse exercise programme is better. So picking several activities you like doing- walking, weight training, aerobic, dance, yoga, cycling- and rotating them is a good idea.

In addition to the exercise you are already doing, trying something totally new or that you haven’t done in awhile – golf, tennis, samba, orienteering, etc – will reward you not only with the satisfaction of mastering something new or becoming reacquainted with something you used to love doing, but your brain will also become shaper! Every new thing we learn hooks up new circuits in the brain that grow stronger with repetition and weaker or even disconnect with lack of use.  Nowhere is the phrase ‘use it or lose it’ more apt than in keeping the edge on your mental abilities and exercise, is one of the master keys.

For specific ideas on creating a varied and challenging training programme see our website www.flexibilityplus.com.

Yours in Health
Nancy

If you’re in retirement and a confirmed couch potato, exercise may be the single most important habit you can adopt to improve your overall health and well being. The evidence is overwhelming. One study revealed a 23- 55 percent lower mortality rate in highly active men and women over age sixty five. Studies of ageing cyclists (in their 60s and 70s) showed that although reflexes did slow with age, they still, had reaction times equivalent to inactive men in their 20s. One group of 70- year- olds who had participated in strength training regularly from age 50 had a muscle cross sectional area equivalent to a group of 28- year- old students. Without a training programme a decrease in muscle mass, due to a lack of exercise becomes particularly apparent at age 60 or thereabouts.

Cardiovascular fitness declines twice as fast in sedentary individuals.

Exercise is for everyone always, unless you are carrying a high fever and /or have an active infection. While conventional western medicine rarely addresses this issue, exercise has been shown to alter the expression and consequences of a disease that is already present. This means that even if you already have an ailment or chronic disease, or mobility restrictions such as injury, arthritic inflammation and even if you are confined to a wheel chair exercise can probably, help you. Get guidelines from a health care practitioner, but don’t miss out on the benefits of physical activity. You may have to take special care warming up, get physiotherapy, massage or acupuncture treatments in order to participate in an active lifestyle, but it’s worth it. Not only your body-mind and emotions thank you your brain will as well.

Cheers,

Nancy

We’ve talked about the benefits of physical fitness for women but what about men? Well, men have just as much to gain as women do from taking up an exercise programme. Natural inertia, bad habits and the belief that they’ll never get back to the fighting form they enjoyed in their youth often keep them back. Any man reading this who falls into this category should take heart. One study showed that the effects of a sedentary lifestyle of thirty years duration was actually reversed in six months, after a group of middle aged men took up an exercise programme. The weight of the trial subjects had increase by 25 percent their body fat had doubled and their aerobic capacity had decreased by 11 percent over thirty years of being couch potatoes. Despite all that, in six months they were able to achieve the same degree of cardiovascular fitness they had enjoyed as twenty year olds, which proves it’s never too late start an exercise programme.

The gains of fitness can be achieved with out fanatical and intense activity. One study at the University of Colorado found that after a three month exercise period consisted mainly of walking a study of groups of sedentary men with an average age of fifty three had improved to a state comparable to that of men who had exercised for years. Walking is a great way to increase our cardio vascular fitness it is a way to connect the inner and outer worlds, to give time for the evolution of thought without being lost in one’s thoughts it is a way to connect to those around us in a world fast becoming disconnected. Walking even connects us to our history as a species.

Walking in the sunshine has the added benefit of improving bone strength both from doing weight bearing exercise and the opportunity to create vitamin D on the surface of our skins that does our bones a world of good because of its involvement in calcium metabolism.

Walking by ocean or waterfall or after a rainstorm has the added benefit of boosting mood due to al the negatively charged particles in the air.

So do your whole being a favour and done those walking shoes

See you on the trail

Nancy