If you are training for weight loss, do your weight training prior to your cardio vascular workout. The weight training will utilise most of your glycogen stores and so that by the time you start on your aerobic training most of the calories you burn in your workout will come form your fat stores.

Happy training,

Yours in Health,

Nancy

Stretching Tip

Tension between the shoulders is common especially if you work at your computer a lot or drive long hours, and it is a hard area to stretch out so here’s a tip on how to get some flexibility in that area and ease the tension.

Wrap right elbow underneath the left, forearms and hands facing upward. Face your palms toward each other each other and twist your torso to the right. This will separate your shoulder blades and stretch the muscles between them. Hold for 30 seconds and release slowly. Repeat to the other side. This will help to increase the suppleness in your back.

Cheers, happy stretching,

Nancy

As we approach peri menopause and menopause between mid thirties and early fifties our nutritional needs change as our hormonal picture begins to shift. The cortisol our adrenals produce becomes relatively higher than the sex hormones we produce and that together with a slowing thyroid can throw us into insulin resistance, which means our bodies process sugars less efficiently paving the way for weight gain especially around our middle, which is unhealthy for our hearts. This is an abbreviated, and simplistic explanation of the process, but the bottom line is the way we eat and how much we move at this time in our life has a direct relationship to the quality of life we are likely to experience down the track.

There are many things we can do but, one simple measure we can take is to cut way down on the white stuff in our diet white sugar, salt, flour, and potatoes and every thing made with them. These things behave like sugar in our system, and quickly bump up our blood sugar levels and our hormonally imbalanced systems struggle to cope with the overload, consequently we gain weight rapidly.

Protein on the other hand helps our bodies maintain healthier blood sugar levels. So slow down on the bread especially wheat, and up the fish, eggs (free range if poss), nuts, seeds, soy dairy ( if tolerated) and lean meat. Add a healthy dose of exercise and watch your weight drop.

Cheers,
Nancy

On day four of the ISA World Surfing Games in Costa Rica this week our daughter Laura Rishworth became the highest placed Kiwi in the Women’s Division placing 17th overall after finishing third in her fourth round match up. In her second stacked heat of the competition, Laura came up against two Hawaiian surfers who progressed through the heat while she beat the Tahitian surfer who finished fourth.

Using teamwork to their advantage, the Hawaiians had the contest area more or less covered. Laura surfed some fantastic waves when the opportunity presented itself, yet the Hawaiians ensured these were few and far between. Laura has done herself, us and NZ proud with the highest placing of any NZ woman in this event to date.

Five years ago as a fifteen year old Laura set her sights high and created a written goal for her self stating that she wanted to represent her country internationally in surfing. Then she set about creating and periodically revising her exercise and nutritional programme to help her achieve her objective.

Naturally we are very pleased for her and pray she continues to be a role model for other youngsters and oldies too!

Carpe Diem!   Seize the Day!

Proud Mum,

Nancy

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

If you enjoy reading about exercise and putting together your own individualised program our system is for you.
Our system is very effective. We’ve been using t for over thirty years with great for ourselves and our children.
Our eldest is currently competing in Costa Rica at the World Surfing Games the Olympics of surfing, so to speak and has showed good stamina and fitness to see her through the early rounds, with good scores, for a relative rooky to international competition.

Our system is easy to understand, is quick to put into practice, and is excellent value. With commitment, you can achieve great results with this system and garner great satisfaction in doing so.

Visit www.flexibilityplus.com and let us know how you get on

Cheers

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

Get a big enough why: There’s enough in these two blog posts to supply that though isn’t
There, if painful premature death isn’t a big enough why than I don’t know what is. Since none of us think that’ll ever happen to us though sometimes even if we’ve had a close brush, maybe we might need to appeal to our vanity to find  the motivation, fear of abandonment, or pride, whatever it is “carrot and stick” yourself in whatever way you need to get yourself moving

Explore the reasons you are stuck in an unhealthy lifestyle: Without this step no amount of knowledge about nutrition and exercise and their importance will make a bit of difference. We often avoid this kind of self exploration because it deals with emotions, painful ones at times, but without resolving these we cannot clear a path that will lead us to a better lifestyle. For example I had to understand that my weight issues all those years ago had to do with my using food to sooth painful emotions like homesickness, desperate loneliness etc. Once I made the connection and found some strategies to deal with it. then I could move forward with my fitness and healthy eating

Commit to Change: Make a written contract with yourself if necessary, if that works for you. Hang it on your bedroom door or the fridge! Get buy in from loved ones to goad you into keeping you on track. Maybe you could return the favour.

Schedule it: Just like any other appointment make exercise and healthy eating appointments with yourself, and record what you’ve done in your diary so you can track your progress

Visualize the Benefits: Spend 10 minutes each day visualizing all the benefits that will come to you from leading an active nutritionally sound lifestyle. Why is this such an important tool used by top athletes and business people everywhere? Because, seeing is believing! Believing creates in us the desire and motivation to bring the visualisation into reality

Finally, in this economically challenging time we may feel there are more important things to do than committing to fitness, but this is a miscalculation. Exercise is a tremendous buffer against stress, once you learn to enjoy it you’ll find it will take you out of most negative mind states, because of the endorphins the happy brain chemicals that are released with exercise. Having a strong healthy body helps you become mentally stronger because it literally helps rewire your brain. See one of our earlier posts on exercise and the brain for more on this. Optimal nutrition will keep your medical bills down, because you will be healthier. It will keep your household expenses down because preparing your own wholesome food from scratch is far cheaper than going through the drive through. So there is no time like the present to invest in an exercise and nutrition plan. For information on how to do this go to our website www.flexibilityplus.com to check out our products and benefit for yourself and your family.

Yours in health,

Nancy

Procrastination the thief of time as some have called it is an insidious habit that robs us of our highest potential if we let it. Have you ever procrastinated? I know I’ve been guilty of this one. Have you ever asked yourself why you do it?  I know I have. Here are some of my whys:

1.    Embarrassment. I have to confront someone on an issue, and am not looking forward to the prospect, so I put it off
2.    Ignorance. I need  info I don’t have on a subject and don’t quite know where to begin looking for the answers
3.    Preference. I’d much rather do something else right now than tackle that issue I’m supposed to, because I attach more pain than pleasure to that than what I’m already absorbed in.
4.    Shortsightedness and poor prioritizing. I fail to see the long term picture and am overly focussed on the here and now, after all there are far more important things for me to do right now right now than this thing I’m putting off, right?

Do you relate? Yup?! Let me ask you this then, have you ever had your procrastination catch up with you and reverse on it self?
For example, you have a large homework assignment or a report for work due tomorrow morning. You’ve known about it and the deadline for weeks, you’ve gotten as far as getting some of your resources together, but only just started really knuckling down to get it done and now you’ll have to stay up all night to finish it and miss the big game you were looking forward to watching. Darn! You walk in bleary eyed the next morning and hand in something you know could have been done way better if only you’d put in the time and paced yourself.

Now, lets say you’ve been for your annual check up you are a little nervous because you know you’ve put on 20lbs since you last check up and you were already a little plumper than you’ve have liked then. Then the doctor drops a bomb shell telling you your blood pressure is sky high, your cholesterol and blood sugar levels are a worry and she’s ordered you to start an exercise programme as soon as she can stabilize things with medication, oh and by the way you’ll be on these drugs for the rest of your life!

Two years ago your cousin told you to try this exercise programme and nutrition plan she was on and you noticed that she looked better than she had in years, was no longer chained to her smoking habit and had more energy than you did even though she’s ten years older than you!  You only had 15lbs to lose back then, a little left over from the last baby you had, you were in pretty good health, you didn’t smoke and were too young to worry about heart disease and besides those chocolate chip cookies that just came out of the oven smelled so divine and would go perfectly with the cappuccino you just made and the last chapter of that page turner you were reading.

Your cousin invites you to join her on her run, and you go “if you think I’m getting out there in this blizzard you are nuts” (it was raining and a tad cool and windy outside). Your cousin says “suit your self”, and you snuggle on the couch with your comforter and your comfort food and sigh with contentment. Twenty minutes later cuzi’s back, glowing and full of beans, she dives into the shower slips on a chic evening gown and heads out the door for a night on the town. You glower and grab another cookie. Sound familiar?

Two years on don’t you wish you’d listened?

To be continues….
Catch you tomorrow,
Nanc

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