Welcome Outdoor Adventurers and Fitness Folk!
It’s been a great month for training with the weather perfect for outdoor activities and getting the body ready for the joys of Spring. These joys include the start of many of the outdoor and water sports including adventure racing, triathlon, ocean swimming and kayaking. Whatever your interest now is the time to get yourself out the door and living your active lifestyle!
But wait! Most fitness drives are just a short rush of blood to the head that quickly fizzle out with your goals never achieved. So give yourself the best chance to make it and read this month’s Reading That’s Good for You. Of course to fuel your new level of activity you’re going to want a practical understanding of good nutrition so see Jessica Cox’s article to put the building blocks in place.
This month we’ve also had a number of new members join PRIME Condition. You might have met them already at your session. Welcome to Sarah-Jane, Susan, Loui, Ella, Colin, Tania and Kelly.
There you go, there’s some goodness to get you ready for Spring. Remember this newsmail is for you, the Outdoor Adventurer, the Fitness Fan. Without you turning up to OGT(that’s Outdoor Group Training) the newsmail wouldn’t have a reason to be.
So, if you enjoy something on the pages, share it with your friends (how about that workout!). If there’s something else you feel would improve the newsmail, let me know.
Now, pull on your boots and enjoy the read!
Reading That’s Good for You
The key to being successful in your sport may not be as a result of a different diet, or through a new cross training regimen, or with the latest technologically advanced running shoes – it could be something as simple as how you set your goals. Some people don’t set goals at all; others set them, but don’t write them down; still others write them down, but don’t know how to work with them effectively. The following S.M.A.R.T.E.R. goal setting principles will provide you with an easy and practical method of defining precisely what you want – which is the first step in getting there! Follow the link: http://www.sportsmind.com.au/Article-Practical-Suggestions-for-Achieving-Your-Dream.php
Trainer’s Note
Goal Setting! So important to achieving…your goals!
We have a Fitness Test coming up in a little over a week. At this Fitness Test we will talk about your specific goal that you will set yourself to achieve by November’s Fitness Test. This goal is to be performance focused and not simply a weight loss target – they’re too easy to put to the back of your mind. An example of a performance-focused goal would be to do 1 more than you did last month on each of the exercises of the Fitness Test.
This month you would have received your new Fitness Progress Report. This tool is there to help you stay focused on the goal you set yourself. Each month your new goal and fitness test results will be collated and an updated report issued so you can see directly the relationship between your activity level and your progress.
Of course, if you have another fitness goal in mind we can certainly include that in the report and track your progress toward its achievement. Perhaps you want to give a team triathlon a go over the summer and you’ve volunteered for the swim leg or maybe you’re about to start a sport season and you want to be able to run 5km without stopping.
So, put some thought into what goal you will set yourself for the next month and then we’ll work hard to achieve it.
Nutrition
Macronutrients for Outstanding Nutritional Health!
Where to start in the plethora of information surrounding healthy food and nutrition? To begin building some helpful knowledge, it pays to strip things back to the foundations. If we can understand the ‘core’ to building a great foundation, then everything else we apply is like icing to the cake.
So what is the ‘core’ of a sound nutritional intake? It is simply understanding, and of course putting into practice, the three key components that make up a nutritious diet. These three components are Macronutrients, or simply, carbohydrates, fats and protein.
Instead of me explaining the ins and outs of carbohydrates, fats and proteins in never ending paragraphs, here is an easy to follow, and user-friendly table that will start to break down some common misconceptions, and shed some light onto what foods fall where. Think of these foods as the ‘building blocks’ that create the foundation of your healthy food intake.
Putting the macronutrients into practice!
Lay your Foundation…
• Include 3 main meals per day – Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• Include 2 snacks per day between meals – Morning and Afternoon Tea.
Add in your building blocks – protein, carbohydrates and essential fats from the “enjoy” lists…
• Always include some form of protein with every meal and snack. This will keep your energy levels consistent and keep sugar cravings at bay. Aim for a palm size with each main meal.
• Include a form of complex carbohydrates from the grains list with breakfast and lunch to keep your energy levels consistent.
• Include carbohydrates from the vegetables list with lunch and dinner (and breakfast if you like!).
• Include essential fats with each main meal to increase satiety and to assist your metabolic rate.
Jessica is an accredited and practicing Nutritionist with a Bachelor Health Science (Nutrition). Jessica is available for consultations at Professional Therapists based in Brisbane City. Contact Jessica with any queries or questions at www.jessicacox.net or email jessica@jessicacox.net Source great food ideas by following Jessica @ twitter.com/jescoxnutrition
Challenge Yourself
Go for a run. Go for a ride. Take the dog for a walk. Whatever you do, just make sure you get red hot and puffing.
Warm up with a light jog until you are sweating lightly.
In 2 minutes:
Run 100m quickly. Do 10 squats, 10 push ups and 10 reverse curls(from a sit up position, slowly lower your body down until your shoulder blades touch the ground and then sit up and repeat. Each repetition takes 3 seconds to lower.) Rest for the remainder of the 2 minutes, then repeat.
Repeat 5 times.
Motivation Is Mental
“In everything the ends well defined are the secret of durable success.”
Victor Cousins.
“Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement.”
Brian Tracy, Eat that Frog.
