Tag: Make it fun

Training with Friends

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We live in a busy world and its hard to fit healthy movement and social catch ups in around family and work.  Why not combine the two?!

There are so many benefits, on top of all the benefits you get from exercise,  to training with a friend.

You get to see your friends on a regular bases.

Training with a friend keeps you accountable – when someone is counting on you, you are far less likely to cancel on a workout.

Sessions are more FUN! I always speak about creating a healthy balanced lifestyle you enjoy.  You need to find healthy movement and food you enjoy or else you just wont stick with it.  Training with a friend will make the time so much more enjoyable and more likely you will stick with it in the long term.

You will get more out of a session.  With the buddy sessions and small group training I run, I have found people push themselves that little bit harder giving them a better, more enjoyable workout.

Reduced cost of the session.  Personal training sessions are a luxury and can be expensive.  With Buddy sessions you share the cost and small group training the cost is reduced even further.  With a smaller impact to your budget there is a higher likelihood you will stick with the sessions much longer.

Having shared goals and someone to share the experience of training and reaching those goals can be very motivation and rewarding, creating a strong friendship bond.

Get your friends together make a commitment to show up for each other and get moving!

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Mindfulness – Deep Breathing Relaxation

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I bet everyone has heard of mindfulness lately and there is a good reason.  By being mindful we can strengthen our inner resources to improve our resilience in our day to day lives.

We live in an increasingly stressful society filled with work, training, friends, family, study, healthy eating all competing for our attention on a daily biases.  We have all seen those memes of facebook as below.  I’m sure we can all relate.  Everyday life can be extremely stressful and that is even before we throw in a major life event like illness, death, redundancy, divorce, etc.

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This is where mindfulness can come into play.  The definition of mindfulness is simply a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique. Easy right?! Not always.  When you are caught up on the phone with the IT department (#areyoufingserious #wheresthewine) or stuck at ANOTHER lot of roadworks mindfulness can be a hard mental state to achieve.  Lets be honest in those moments we are usually more focused on not losing it.

However there are some quick and easy mindfulness meditation techniques which you could try to help relive stress and tension in your body.  Below is just on technique which can be used anywhere.

DEEP BREATHING RELAXATION

How to use and when:

This exercise can be used at any time, either by yourself or in the company of others.

It may be done standing with your eyes open, or if you are alone, sitting with your eyes closed for a longer amount of time.

It can be used:

  • Feeling tense
  • Feeling Anxious
  • Finding it difficult to relax
  • In a challenging situation

Instructions:

  1. Start by breathing in slowly and deeply, so the breath fills the lower abdomen (rather than the chest).  The abdomen should expand out.
  2. Then breathe out slowly, expelling all the air first from the lower abdomen and then the lungs.
  3. Continue breathing in and out slowly and deeply, right to the bottom of the abdomen, about ten times.
  4. Allow your breathing to return to normal.
  5. This can be repeated as often as required until you feel calm and relaxed.

Exercise plays a huge role in minimizing stress but we cant always go for a run or smash a gym session.  So next time try the deep breathing relaxation technique and see if it makes a difference.

 

 

Team SWEAT City to Bay

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On Sunday a few Team SWEAT members rocked out in their Sweat and Inspire t-shirts for an active, fun and social day either walking or running the 12km City to Bay in Adelaide.

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At Sweat and Inspire we are all about fitness being fun and enjoyable.  These community events are a great opportunity to get a group of friends together to enjoy the sunshine and be active.

 

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Huge well done to all the Team Sweat members who got out there and made it an active, fun and social day. You are all amazing.

Special shout out to Tanya . . . you smashed it.

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If you’re interested in getting more active contact us now and enquire about our personal training sessions.

Make It FUN!

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If you are looking at going on a health and fitness journey and adding some form of training into your schedule make sure you find something you enjoy. If going for a walk every lunch time at work seems boring and dull try making a regular weekly time to walk with friends along the beach.  If you don’t like it you are more likely to make an excuse to skip a session. Find an exercise you enjoy and making an excuse to skip it won’t even enter your mind.

It’s so important to find something you love.  Not only are you likely to continue in the long run but research from the Cornell Food and Brand Lab says that those who “think fun” while exercising are likely to eat less afterwards than those who exercise simply for the end result of weight loss. If you enjoy it you will focus on the journey and not the destination and there is a higher chance your will stick with it and achieve your goals.

People who love training view it as an uplifting lifestyle not an optional chore.  People who look forward to their time training are more likely to continue. Healthy, fit people who exercise regularly have two things in common they look forward to working out and enjoy it and secondly they know they will continue exercising as quitting is not an option; they will miss it too much!

So find an exercise you love doing and you’re more likely to embrace at as a lifestyle change.  I love seeing my buddy training clients.  The atmosphere while training is usually one of comradeship and laughter. If you can create a happy fun atmosphere with friends while training you are much more likely to continue and create the healthy happy lifestyle you have been seeking.

 

 

Reference: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/enjoying-exercise-leads-enhanced-results-study-article-1.1861561