Welcome to April’s newsletter. The evenings are getting longer, the weather is improving (marginally) and it’s getting slightly easier to take off your nice warm gear and put your workout stuff on…..There’s a bit of spring (pun fully intended) in your step and you’re JUST starting to see results from your exercise.
Makes you feel good, huh?

Then it happens. The kids break up for Easter. Suddenly your Bodypump class goes out of the window because Small Person is tagging at your heels. Wanting to go to the Playden (Toasted sandwich Alert).
Or the Cinema (Pick’n’mix Alert – you eat them because Cat in the Hat is so mind-numbingly boring)

And you don’t like to ask your Mum to have Him/Her/It TOO often, especially when it’s “just” a class…

And then the worst blow of all.
The Easter Bunny!
Because, despite your begging to the contrary, your family buy you chocolate. Loads of it.
So here’s the solution:

1. Stuff your face on Easter Sunday. Eat all you want …and more. And then on Easter Monday ditch the rest. Every bit. Give it to the neighbours, the postman, the girls in your husband’s office. Anything, but get it OUT OF THE HOUSE!

2. Prepare an Exercise Contingency Plan. i.e work out at home. A couple of dumbells, a gymball and a little willpower and you’ve cracked it. For your cardiovascular work take Junior and a football to the nearest park. Or go swimming and be the Shark….prancing about in waist-high water burns loads of calories.

This way you won’t lose much ground in your quest to be slim and fit. Despair not!

See you next month!

Carol Bartram
(Dip.PT,IIHHT)

Personal Trainer
Massage Therapist

In This issue:

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The Easter Bunny Cometh…..

Myths are not just limited to old time storybooks, or the children's fiction section at the library. Myths also exist in the fitness world, and have led people to practice some habits, which may not be as healthy as they believed them to be. Here are three common fitness myths that pop up on a regular basis in the fitness world.

Myth 1. Going to a Gym is better than a home workout.

Research has shown that some people find it easier to stick to a home-based fitness program. In spite of all the hype on trendy exercise programs and facilities, the “best” program for you is the one you will participate in consistently.

Myth 2. Water Fitness Programs Are Primarily for Older People.

It has been shown that water fitness programs can be highly challenging and effective for both improving fitness and losing weight. Even top athletes integrate water fitness workouts into their training programs.

1. A pain in the neck.

Neck, hamstring, pectoralis major... no matter what you're stretching it should never be painful. You should feel a mild tension or pull that gradually diminishes the longer you hold the stretch. Hold each stretch for 30-60 seconds. As you become more flexible, you can increase each stretch and the length of time you hold the stretch.

2. Make sure exercise is convenient.

Getting to your exercise equipment should be easy and convenient. If you have to drive a half an hour to get to your gym, you will view working out as a chore. If you spend more time traveling to the gym than you do in the gym, you might want to consider a program that you can do in your home. Muscles do not care where the resistance comes from--they are going to respond. Resistance can be from body weight (push-ups), resistance bands, Dumb bells, machines, or a combination of any of these.

See you next month.

Carol

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