 After our busiest month EVER with the September Open Days every Saturday through the month, we have drawn a winner of a FREE iPad. We had lots of feedback from both current and new members through the website and on our Facebook pages that there a alot of current members friends and alot of new members who cannot make our staffed hours in order to sign up. We put our heads together and organised Open Days each Saturday. With 25% increase in memberships in one month it's clear to see from the feedback that alot of people are still unaware of our presence. All our 'newbies' were so excited to learn of the Run With Me Gym in their area and we are pleased to be of service for so many people who would otherwise not be able to workout. So a warm welcome to our new Run With Me Team members :o) Everyone who attended the Open Days were eligible to enter the draw to win a FREE iPad just for being there. The winner was Lou Arsic from the Altona Gym. Lou has been a member at Altona since it opened with his son Stefan (who is first in line for the iPad if his Dad doesn't want it.) Congratulations Lou and I hope you've downloaded lots of Fitness apps already. Lookout for our next giveaway in the New Year. Keep spreading the word everyone, we are always willing to help more people. Have a sparkly week. Linda x Add Comment  In my recent blog, I said I will list the top 9 worst drinks that slow down the breakdown of fat in your body and # 1 was fruit juices from concentrate. Hope you kicked some old habits and replaced it with better ones. Today I want to bring your attention to coffee. Before you kick and scream, yes, coffee has some benefits but I am not going to focus entirely on that. I am talking about your frappes, cappuccinos, flavoured milks, powdered & sachet coffees, etc. Coffee is a brewed drink prepared from roasted seeds called coffee beans. It possesses an anti-oxidant property, and is advantageous in enhancing the immune system and fighting health problems which include cancer. Frappes and the like however, are loaded with calories (mostly fat & sugar). These drinks will give you a high because of the energy combined with the caffeine but soon after, your energy will shoot down really fast and cause fluctuations in your mood. Lethargy, laziness, apathy and irritability are all common signs. You will then want another ‘hit’ soon after to give you another boost of energy. A medium-sized Frappe (a cup that contains 16 fl. oz) with a topping of whipped cream and chocolate drizzle contains a whopping 560 calories!!! And that's not even a main meal. Caffeine is a stimulant that impacts the nervous system and it’s also a substance that promotes dehydration. It will give you temporary spurts of energy but overall does not qualify as a nutritious drink that serves your body. The disadvantage? Well, besides the high fat and sugar content, individuals who have health problems like diabetes should not consume these products at all as it will increase your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. What's the alternative? Try loose leaf chai tea made with low fat milk and sprinkled with cinnamon instead. Ozlem Ozkan www.mindbodyfull.com  Over the next coming weeks, I will list the top 9 worst drinks that slow down the breakdown of fat in your body. Ready for the first one? # 1 - Fruit Juice from Concentrate This is the juice you see at your typical supermarket and include apple juice, orange juice, grape juice, etc. and not only do a lot of adults drink these, children are drinking them because they think it is ‘good’ for them (often lead by misleading advertising on bottles). The problem is they are loaded with added sugar; refined sugar and in most cases, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). What the heck is HFCS? High-fructose corn syrup is the most common added sweetener in processed foods and beverages. Some research studies have linked consumption of large amounts of any type of added sugar to such health problems as weight gain, dental cavities, poor nutrition, and increased triglyceride levels, which can boost your heart attack risk. High fructose corn syrup is a calorie-providing sweetener used to sweeten foods and beverages, particularly processed and store-bought foods. It is made from glucose syrup that is derived from corn. It was first produced in Japan in the late 1960s, then entered the American food supply system in the early 1970s. HFCS is a desirable food ingredient for food manufacturers because it is equally as sweet as table sugar, blends well with other foods, helps foods to maintain a longer shelf life, and is less expensive (due to government subsidies on corn) than other sweeteners. So in a cup of fruit juice, you are getting a tonne of sugar with no nutrients, no fiber and only a minimal of vitamins. Plus the added poison which will have an impact on your liver as it will work overtime to try to get rid of it from your body. To help curb your addiction to fruit juice so you can keep your weight and health in check, follow these tips:
Healthy regards, Ozlem Ozkan www.mindbodyfull.com  Before I launch into electronically 'gasbagging' to all of the RWM fit people, I should probably tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Steph Wakefield and I'm the owner and operator of My Super Nanny. MSN is an online match making service helping parents find their perfect Nanny/babysitter. Not only is MSN 100% online and safe to use, it is also a free service. Shock horror - yes, finally you can get quality for free! MSN offers the obvious service of Nannies, however the website is also filled with 8 glorious blogs to feed your visual appetite. Blogs ranging from health and fitness, organic living, your money, toddlers & babies and many more - are updated daily to bring you the latest tips, advice and exciting giveaways. The ridiculously fit and talented Linda Allen, owner of RWM gyms, is my fabulous blogger for 'Fitness'. So make sure you pop over and check out her tried and tested advice. If you're reading this blog, then no doubt health and fitness will be important to you. So too, should your family's overall fitness. If you have kids, scheduling exercise in and around them can be difficult. Hence I will be bringing you blogs with suggestions and options to help achieve overall family fitness. Where there is a will, there is a way! Any questions? I would love to start discussions with you on your challenges and triumphs on how you manage your family's health and fitness. Steph Wakefield www.mysupernanny.com.au  I've been training as a track and field athlete as a Long/Triple Jumper for the past 15years. Every day going to an athletics track or a gym for commonly a 3hr training session. Lots of breaks in between reps of course. With all the coaches I have trained with over the years, every single coach has one thing in common. ABS AT THE END OF EVERY SESSION!!! In the athlete world this is often referred to as core stability as the goal is not to get a stomach that look pretty, the goal is to get a stable core surrounding our hips, obliques and total trunk area so that when we run our trunk won't rotate. Personally, I feel like my core stability is forever needing maintenance, that's why I feel so strongly about everyone making sure they put it in their daily exercise program. Let's face it... you can get through your abs in less than 5 minutes, so there's really no excuse. The aim of this blog post is to let you know that even athletes are doing abs after sessions. These 3 exercises would be the most common exercises to boost abdominal strength. If you have back issues then abdominal exercises will be most important for you. I have a routine of 8 exercises I do after each session and these three are the first of those 8. Whether you are doing cardio or weights.....REMEMBER TO DO ABS AT THE END!!!!!!! Happy crunching! Linda x   Researchers have discovered that the regular practice of yoga may produce many health benefits, including increased fitness and weight management. Over time yoga practitioners report lower levels of stress and increased feelings of happiness and wellbeing. This is because concentrating on the postures and the breath acts as a powerful form of meditation. If you go to a lecture on nutrition, they will tell you that eating too many fatty foods will lead to obesity. After you attend the lecture you “know” that it is not healthy to eat a lot of junk food. But, when you get out on the street and go past a fast food burger restaurant, you will likely get hungry. Intellectually you “know” that it is not good to eat junk food, but can you control yourself? Sadly the answer is usually no. Our body is like a chariot pulled by horses. The horses are our desires and the various organs that they use to fulfill themselves such as hands, feet, mouth etc. Sometimes these desires are running like horses out of control. Our mind “knows” so many things and wants to chart a sensible path, but our mind is not strong enough to reign in the wild horses. Yoga helps you to put your mind in control; it helps you to have the strength to do the right thing at the right time. As you feel more relaxed and calm, nervous eating will vanish. If you learn how to apply yoga to your life you will get a long term solution to the problem of achieving self control and self fulfillment. Not to mention beautifully toned arms, legs and back. I am a self-confessed Yoga-addict and I LOVE the benefits I achieve from it! So, last Tuesday I decided to put myself through a bit of the same torture that I put most of my clients through!! I went on facebook and posted a status which which read, "For every "like" I will do 4 push ups!" I posted the status up at 11:30am and gave people time to like it till 8:30pm that same day. The status reached a whopping 60 likes which eventually resulted in myself completing 240 push ups. Before I completed the push ups and before I even thought of the facebook idea, I had already put myself through a chest and tricep workout the very same morning. As 8:30pm hit, I got straight into the push ups. I started better than what I thought and pumped out 70 in a row. After that I knew it was going to be very difficult and that I was going to feel it the next day, the day after that, and the day after that. My shoulders and triceps were fatiguing very quickly but I kept pushing myself and finally got through it all within 6:30 minutes. I will challenge myself every two weeks from now. Stayed tuned next week for sit ups ;) If anyone has an idea of what exercise you would like me to complete, make sure you let me know! I'm always up for a challenge ;) On an end note, challenge yourself, keep pushing and Don't give up, all you have to do is try! Dan Altona Run With Me  So across all three of our gyms in Altona, Sunshine West and Cairnlea - we launched our Sign Up Saturdays in September promotion to give EVERYONE a chance to pop in and see us as we are. Theres alot of you out there who cannot make our definite staffed hours of 7-10am and 4-8pm and the idea of the Open Days in September if for anyone and everyone to pop in and see what its like. As you may already know - we're giving away a FREE iPad2 at the end of the month for one lucky person from one of the three gyms. All you have to do to enter is show up to the open day and put your name in the entry box. You can be a current member, new member or just someone who came to see what it looks like inside. The follow on BUZZ from our first Open Day last Saturday has been contagious. Lots of people talking and lots of people wanting to be a part of the Run With Me Family. There is still another 4 Saturdays to attend if you missed out last Saturday. Free GNC samples to try at each of the gyms also. Bring a friend and check it out this Saturday. 1-4pm at each gym every Saturday in September! We'll be taking sign ons for our BEACH BODY CHALLENGE too! See you there, Linda xx  Once I start, I can’t stop! See if this scenario sounds familiar: “I knew I wanted the chocolate chip cookies. I was anxious. Waiting for a call from work in the next 30 minutes. I open my pantry. Scavenge the shelves. No chocolate chip cookies. Anything will do!” If you could allow yourself the pleasure of eating any chocolate you desired during that 30 minute wait, what would the perfect chocolate be? Would it be caramel flavored? Or cookies and cream? Or maybe crunchy bits with nuts? Now think, where could you buy this at that time? What if you knew you could make that trip to buy your desired chocolate; would that make a difference? Would that help your feelings of anxiety? Often when we think we should give ourselves the pleasure of eating what we like, fear comes up: you may talk yourself out of buying it. “I really shouldn’t – it’s too fattening.” You are afraid of putting on weight. What normally ends up happening is you eat more to compensate for the no-chocolate-never thinking. The solution? Give yourself permission to have it. If you don’t, you end up gulping down the chocolate pieces in a hurry resulting in no satisfaction whatsoever. “But I feel like I don’t deserve it” is the standard thought process of all-or-nothing thinkers. Somehow self-worth gets collapsed with eating for pleasure yet the two are completely distinct from one another. Lets pretend you could make it to the store to buy your desired chocolate. How much of it do you think you would want? One piece? It would be ‘special’ and in fact, you wouldn’t need a whole bunch. Contrary to what you may think, when you give yourself permission to have it, you get rid of the resistance which gives rise to choice and almost always when we have choice we can freely select what our bodies most need at that time (mostly being nutritious). This is truly powerful and a concept quite challenging to grasp initially for people who have been on and off diets most of their lives or for binge eaters. “Resistance causes persistence”. Or put another way, the more you resist something the greater your desire to need it. Start enjoying chocolate again! Ozlem Ozkan www.mindbodyfull.com  The Herald Sun reported today that collectively, the following actions were ‘banned’ at some primary school. “Hugging, Silly Bandz, Kissing, Cartwheels, bagged lunches, shaking hands, breast cancer awareness bracelets, skinny leg jeans and leggings, lip balm, dictionaries, making best friends”. I nearly choked on my English breakfast tea reading this RUBBISH. What a woeful reflection on our nanny state – pardon the pun. Am I going crazy, or are all of these insane bans so very ‘un-Australian’? A primary school in Mt. Martha has also deemed ‘high 5’s’ as highly inappropriate… so they’ve banned it. Turns out the “lollipop” man didn’t get the memo and has been dishing out high 5’s like sneezes on a high pollen day. – gee is he in deep trouble. And to think I use to high 5 my school principal… Growing up, the private high school I attended took the liberty to ban ‘shoe-string strap singlets and ‘open toe shoes’ on casual dress day. This ban was a mystery to all students and caused much upheaval. The school managed to cover it up ingeniously by claiming a student was at risk of third degree burns on the shoulders if ‘shoe string straps’ were worn – and open toe shoes… well it received the token ‘OH&S’ tag. Lets break it down. Ban of strappy singlets = minimise the possibility of sexual harassment claims of annoying year 9 boys. Ban of open toe shoes = just in case someone drops a brick on your foot (intentionally of course), the school is off the hook from being sued. As for primary schools banning the above activities…I’m not even sure where to begin my rant on this topic – there are so many appealing starting points. Instead – I interpreted it as best I could for you. Disclaimer attached of course. Hugging = could result in young love, hideous. Silly Bandz = ostracise those who think they are silly Kissing = germs. Already enough in primary schools Cartwheels = too much fun, inability for kids to settle into work after a cartwheel fueled recess… results in BAD grades Bagged lunches = secrecy of bag makes it possible for grade 4’s to deal red frogs Shaking hands = shaking hands leads to kissing… dah. Breast Cancer awareness bracelets = too much compassion – kids need to toughen up Skinny leg jeans and leggings = better aerodynamics when running – gives an unfair advantage. Similar ramifications to doping in sports Lip Balm = touching one’s lips could indicate the desire for a playground kiss equates to misleading and over-sexualised behavior Dictionaries = helps in plight for world domination on highest rate of youth illiteracy Making best friends = self-explanatory - makes teachers feel excluded At this present time, the one thing that would make me happier than a never ending packet of Tim Tams, would be if a parent went and gave their kid’s principal a high 5. It would be glorious. Steph Wakefield mysupernanny.com |
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