Sticking To Your Sunshine Coast Fitness Program – Even When The Weather Gets Cold!

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Early mornings are not so fun in winter when its cold and dark outside, it becomes quite temping to just stay in bed where it’s warm and cosy! Even a Sunshine Coast Personal Trainer can find it difficult to get out of bed and slog it out in the cold – which happened to me just this morning.
My alarm went off at 6 am (which is a late start compared to the 4.30 am wake ups I have in order to start training clients at 5.30am) it was dark and cold at 10 degrees outside and all of a sudden that sneaky, whingey little voice inside my head said “Aww, but I dont wanna go for a run! It’s cold and dark – I cant be stuffed!”  So I hit the snooze button and rolled over.

I lay there thinking about how much I loved bed, so cosy and comfy, and how nice would it be to stay there all morning, get up at 7.30 and just skip training altogether.
Almost immediately images from the night before popped into my head, I had been to a BodyBuilding contest and seen lots of lean, buffed bods in bikinis and high heels strutting around on stage. It was then that the Sunshine Coast Personal Trainer in me piped up and said “Unfortunately for you being warm and cosy in bed isnt going to get you to your health, figure and fitness goals! Get up!”
(See! Even us trainers are vicitims of our own trainer-to-client encouragement!)

And so reluctantly I got up, reached for some training clothes, devised a way to get dressed that would expose the least amount of bare skin to the cold air outside the bed covers (ie: getting dressed under the covers!!) This took a while, considering I was getting dressed in bed and when it’s cold outside, I usually layer up my workout gear so I’m warm until my heart rate is up, then I can start taking off the layers as I get warmer. Finally I was ready and went for my run.

Forty-five minutes later I was pumped, on an endorphin high and feeling great and I thought about how my day would have started if I hadnt gotten up and trained; it seemed like a sluggish and lethargic way to start the day and I was glad that I hadnt stayed in bed.

Even some of our clients have encountered and overcome this same early morning, inner-monologue debate. One such client bounds up to me in the mornings at 5.30am in the dark, and cheerily says “good morning!” while i’m still mentally waking up! (Even though my body is up and awake – my brain is often half and hour behind my body!) It takes a bit of mental toughness to get up and get going when the rest of the population stays inside in their beds where its warm.

I’d like to know about the times you’ve had to talk yourself out of bed to get to training or the tips and tricks you’ve come up with to make sure you get out there and get working towards your goals. One of our Sunshine Coast Personal Trainers – Sammy, her trick is to set 3 different alarms, while our office administrator Tiani asks her boyfriend to help her out of bed – this ‘help’ he interprets as pulling the covers off her, refusing to give them back then literally kicking her out of bed!   Harsh, but effective none-the-less!

If you’re having a little more trouble than getting out of a warm bed when trying to stay motivated on your fitness journey make sure you check out our article on “refocusing on fitness.”

So lets hear it then! Post your comment below!

Yours In Health & Fitness

Sascha Aiono
Sculptlife Personal Trainer

Sunshine Coast Boot Camp for Brides

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WOMEN will do anything to look perfect on their special day – even starve themselves to death, as was the case in Britain recently. But here on the Sunshine Coast, personal trainer Bianca Aiono is getting back to basics to help brides look their best without putting their health at risk. Her Buff Brides course is based on a minimum 12-week program where Bianca puts the girls through their paces three to four times a week, using the beautiful Coast surrounds as a backdrop.

Women who sign on for the program are required to have an initial consultation with Bianca where they set “smart” goals and come up with a vision blurb to keep them motivated and on track.
Bianca also runs through a healthy eating plan and takes the girls’ measurements to best monitor change in the coming months. Brides have the choice of selecting group training sessions or one-on-one work, depending on their needs.
The sweat starts pouring on the second visit, when participants begin the cardio sculpt program designed by Bianca.
Some of the cardio-burning exercises brides typically do include squats, kettlebell training, lunges, stairs, dips and crunches, which are all designed to “target women’s problem areas”, Bianca said.
“In cardio sculpt, you’re burning fat and bringing the toned muscle up from underneath. “It targets women’s problem areas – arms, abs and thighs,” she said.
Bianca also tries to incorporate some fun into the workouts at the end of the week, and this can involve anything from beach sprints to relays.
“No two sessions are ever the same,” Bianca said.

As well as the four sessions a week, Bianca encourages her clients to incorporate “incidental exercise” into their lives too.
This can be anything from playing a game of tennis on the weekend to meeting a girlfriend for a walk along the beach.

The Buff Brides course is $300 per month for group sessions and between $500 and $900 per month for one-on-one.

Read Bianca’s article Choosing the Right Sunshine Coast Fitness Program to Meet Your Goals !

Do you want to become a Buff Bride?

Click here for more information and a FREE gift!

Article by Hayley Nissen | 3rd October 2009 Featured in

Sunshine Coast Personal Trainer Says " You Can Melt Fat With Your Mind "

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All too often I have heard clients downplay their achievements and results when it comes time to re-assess their figure and fitness results. Sadly, its not uncommon for me to see someone to drop 10cm from their waist in 4 weeks and then say, ‘oh but my thighs are still too big’, or for someone to decrease their bodyfat percentage by 8% in 12 weeks and then say ‘oh but I’m still not a size 8 yet’.

When it comes to fat loss and fitness, there are several pieces of the puzzle you need for success; a healthy and balanced nutritional plan; an exercise regime that includes cardiovasulcar exercise and resistance training; and finally accountability for your actions (a SculptLife Personal Trainer is perfect for this as well as all of the above!). But there is one other component that you may not realise you need to address, but is vital to your success…

…Your mental approach to your training and weight loss regime…

Have you ever heard the saying ‘it’s like watching paint dry/grass grow?’ Or have you ever been waiting for something and watching the seconds tick by on the clock and each minute feels like an age? In my opinion, these are comparitive to changes in your figure when trying to reduce fat/tone up. It becomes far too stressful and discouraging when you focus too much on what your body is doing.

It is better to simply be aware of your exercise/healthy eating regime, and focus on the “process” but not to focus too much on your progress. Set yourself in your daily routine and let your body do the rest. Just relax, let it happen and enjoy it.  Check out the article “Setting Fitness & Health Goals with a Sunshine Coast Personal Trainer” for advice on how to turn your dreams into reality .

Think Before You Eat for Sunshine Coast Weight Loss

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If you learn to think before you eat, you will achieve Sunshine Coast weight loss by making the right choices.  When you eat foods simply because you like them without regard for their nutritional content, it is easy to choose foods that are not good for your body.  Losing weight doesn’t have to be a traumatic experience when you learn how to choose healthy and tasty foods with high nutritional content.

Thinking It Through to the End

There was once an old expression that went something like “a moment on the lips and a lifetime on the hips”.   You don’t hear this expression often anymore, but it really sums up the need to be fully aware of what you put into your mouth.  When you thoughtlessly prepare and/or eat meals that are unhealthy, the food tastes great in your mouth but quickly turns to fat in the body.

Even worse is the fact the wrong food choices can lead to disease and shorten your life span.  Almost everyone knows that high cholesterol foods can cause cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, or even cancer.   Foods that are high in sugar can cause type-2 diabetes and heart disease.

All too often, people decide to go on a diet and make a big production of the decision.  They announce their decision to family and friends, make a date to start the diet, and begin weighing religiously.  Most diets start out well, but it’s not long before the cravings for certain foods begin and the constant effort becomes tedious.

Instead of deciding to go on a diet, you should decide to start living a healthy lifestyle.  Going on a diet for Sunshine Coast weight loss is a short term solution.  Living a healthy lifestyle is a choice you are making that will endure the rest of your life.  You can begin by simply thinking about what you eat and when you eat it in order to achieve Sunshine Coast weight loss.

Lose Weight By Living the Healthy Life

When you embark on a healthy lifestyle, it is important to begin thinking about your decision related to food and physical activity.  When it comes to food, you want to mentally evaluate your choices.  For example, when you reach into the refrigerator for an evening snack, you can choose ice cream or a piece of fruit.  When it’s time for breakfast, you can choose a bowl of oatmeal or bacon and eggs.  Do you really need that in-between meal snack?  Are you that hungry, and if so, why?

You can begin to substitute foods with high nutritional value for foods that are not good for your body on a meal by meal basis.  Instead of being obsessed with Sunshine Coast weight loss, you can focus on your energy level and how well you are aging.  When you make the right food choices and manage the quantity of food you eat, you will lose weight.

Your diet management should be combined with regular exercise too.  If you just think about each food item you put into your mouth, you are bound to maintain Sunshine Coast weight loss as you learn to make better choices.

Keeping Off the Pounds You Lost with Sunshine Coast Weight Loss

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Everyone who cares about Sunshine Coast weight loss has heard of yo-yo dieting where you lose weight and then slowly (or quickly) put the weight back on and then lose it again and so on.  It is unhealthy to treat your body in that fashion, and it puts a lot of stress on your organs and cardiovascular system.  In fact, you can do permanent damage to your body’s ability to maintain equilibrium.

Maintaining the Right Weight and a Lifestyle

When you lose weight by following a calorie restricted fad diet, you are not making a lifestyle change.  You are simply dieting.  This makes it very difficult to keep lost weight off, because as soon as you start eating again the weight will return.

The ideal healthy diet is really not a diet but more of a fitness plan.  You learn to eat right and get regular exercise.  The fitness plan is not something you follow for a few weeks until the weight is lost, but it is a plan for living a healthy life.  There is a big difference between dieting to lose weight and getting fit while losing weight.

Maintaining Sunshine Coast weight loss is a lot easier when you adhere to a healthy lifestyle.  The key is to make your fitness program interesting by eating a variety of healthy foods and choosing physical activities you enjoy.

If you are uncomfortable working out at the gym then you can hire an in-home trainer who can develop a varied exercise program.  If you like exercising outdoors, there are many different athletic and recreational activities which you can do to burn calories.  You can play tennis or start a walking program.

Paying Attention to the Details

The key to Sunshine Coast weight loss is to continue your weight maintenance program in your daily living while paying attention to habits which could lead to weight gain.

  • Stay focused on your daily Sunshine Coast weight loss maintenance program by becoming aware of physical symptoms indicating the body is distressed (i.e. eating high fat food that causes indigestion)
  • Weigh yourself regularly without being obsessive
  • Learn how to choose a variety of healthy foods
  • Learn how to cook foods in a healthy manner
  • Exercise 5 to 7 days a week
  • Change your exercise program regularly so you don’t lose interest
  • Don’t let your body feel starved which lowers your resistance to eating junk food or extra calories you don’t need
  • Only eat when you are hungry and not because it is “meal time”
  • Eat smaller meals more frequently
  • Make sure your exercise program includes aerobic and strength training exercises
  • Look for ways to burn more calories as you go through the day (i.e. stand instead of sitting, parking far from the store door and so on)

Keeping the pounds off for Sunshine Coast weight loss is not difficult as long as you pay attention to your diet and continue to exercise regularly.  Even as you age and the metabolism naturally slows down, low fat diets coupled with increased exercise can help you stay at the right weight.

Managing Fitness And Diet: Good Calories Vs. Empty Calories In The Battle For Weight Loss In Sunshine Coast

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When trying to achieve weight loss on the Sunshine Coast, gaining a balanced diet can be confusing.  There is a lot to include and there are real moderated needs for protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and even calories.  As most people know, quantity of calories is a major concern; but then, calorie quality is important, too.

Good Calories, Bad Calories

All calories are not created equal; not all calories are evil—you need calories to live and have energy.  A diet capable of supporting health and fitness is one that is packed with good calories.  So what’s a ‘bad’ calorie?  You might recognize it by another name—an empty calorie.

An empty calorie is a calorie with no nutritional value.  It is a calorie largely based in fats and sugars devoid of vitamins, minerals, and important nutrients. When trying to achieve weight loss in Sunshine Coast, you should learn which calories are empty calories and try to avoid them.

Protein, carbohydrates, and fats are all macro nutrients.  There are good sources of these needed dietary elements, but there are also a lot of bad sources that are nothing more than empty, useless calories.

Good calories and good sources of macro nutrients have necessary carbs, good fats, and proteins, and they also have micro-nutrients such as fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

Useless, Empty Calories

The problem with empty calories is that they provide little to no energy, no restorative and constructive properties (for muscle, bone, and tissue), and add to fat stores.  Very simply, empty calories have none of the necessary elements needed to support body function, workouts, and good health.

Fitness depends on having good sources of calories that also provide other needed elements and energy for working out.  The right caloric sources will result in improved energy, enhanced muscle formation, and increased weight loss.  Empty calories will negate these efforts, making it harder to achieve weight loss for Sunshine Coast residents.

How To Spot An Empty Calorie

In a hurried world it is easy to consume many empty calories throughout the course of the day and not even realize it.  This can leave you feeling sluggish and thwart the best of fitness efforts.  Many people trying to achieve weight loss on the Sunshine Coast eat mainly empty calories and do not even know that they do it.  So how can you easily spot an empty calorie?

First off, consider that all ‘junk food’ is empty calories.  Avoid sugar-laden foods and refined grains (white flours).  Eat natural sugars (fruits and vegetables) and whole grains.  Avoid fried foods, candy, and sugary drinks (soda, but also sugary ‘energy’ drinks that are often nothing more than sugar and caffeine).

Also look out for beer and alcohol; these are sources of sugar and stored fats with nothing else to offer.

Depending on preparation, even good calories can turn empty quickly (fried foods and more).  To really learn to quickly spot empty calories you need to get educated—talk to a nutritionist, your doctor, or your personal trainer.  These professionals will give you the basics of good calorie consumption, help you balance out your diet and point you to reliable resources for more information about weight loss on the Sunshine Coast.

Your health and well-being depend on your good diet.  Reaching your fitness goals does, too.  Many a person has found that simple dietary changes, a switch-over to good calorie sources rather than consuming empty calories, has made the difference between a stalled fitness campaign and reaching and exceeding fitness objectives.