I can honestly say that first 400 metre warm up run was the furthest I’d ever run before in my life! I also happened to have my first session when the monthly fitness test was being held. While I found the test incredibly difficult, when the next month came around and I improved on my time considerably, I felt a huge sense of achievement.

To begin with, I trained twice a week. As my wedding got closer, I increased my training sessions, and saw a further improvement in my fitness as a result. I love training in the mornings, because then I get my evenings to myself without the guilt associated with skipping an exercise session!

What I love about SHE is that the workouts are different each time, so you don’t get bored. The trainers are really encouraging and approachable. I have also been really motivated by seeing my fitness improve – I can do push ups on my toes now! I’ve also really enjoyed meeting the other women who train and working out with women who have fitness goals that they’re striving to achieve. I like that SHE is a supportive environment in which to train, regardless of your fitness level.

In September of last year I ran the 9k Sydney bridge run. There is no way I would have had the confidence to train for a run like that if I hadn’t seen my fitness improve through my training at SHE. This year, I am aiming to complete the Hunter Valley Half Marathon. I also want to complete the Fitness Test in under 11 minutes. SHE has taught me that the sky is the limit, provided you’re willing to put in the hard work and train consistently.

I’m really proud of the hard work I’ve put in and the results that I’ve achieved over the last nine months – I couldn’t have done it without the support of SHE, and am looking forward to continuing my fitness journey with SHE in 2012!

You are invited to help us spread some Christmas cheer by joining us for yoga and a picnic breakfast in the park on Sunday, 4 December at Centennial Park.

Catch up with your She FITNESS friends and Coaches, meet new members, trade workout war stories and celebrate your commitment to health and fitness.

Light refreshments will be provided – BYO picnic blanket and your favourite breakfast treats.

Partners, friends and dogs are welcome.

Please RSVP before Tuesday, 29 November and indicate if you will be attending the yoga session.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Team She FITNESS

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Date: Sunday, 4 December, 2011

Time: Free Yoga session 9:30-10:30am; Christmas brunch from 10:30am

Location: Centennial Park (Meeting spot to be announced)

RSVP: info@shefitness.com.au

Music
Whatever you like; hip hop, RnB, pop, rap or even classical if you want to do things smoothly, music can help you reach your goals while on fitness training. Music is a great motivator. Time will fly and having something to concentrate on will push your mind away from distraction factors like people watching or being sweaty.

Friends
Enjoy fitness training with a friend or a group of friends can do wonders. Again you will notice how time flies when you are in good company and chatting together will help keep your mind away from the feeling of being tired. You can even help each other for exercises like stretching. The point is to enjoy fitness training together.

Keep track
Start keeping a diary where you will note your progress. For example
Day 1: 70k. Motivated to get in that low waist jeans.
Day 2: Very tired. Was hard but hoping to get hang of it.
Day 3: I’m not sure I can do it.
Day 4: I touched my foot without too much difficulty today. I feel proud!
Day 5: Met a new friend who also workouts regularly. We might walk together.
Day 6: Is it me or my sugar craze is keeping at bay?
Day 7: Fighting muscle pain and looking forward to a new week.

Reward yourself
Keeping fit doesn’t mean exercising like mad and cutting on all food goodies. Do things at your natural rhythm and understand that it is okay to eat a slice of cake from time to time. Low fat ingredients exist for a reason. Cutting on everything you like will only lead to mood swings and the day you burst-because you will-it won’t be a nice sight.

There are still more ways to motivate yourself and reap the benefits of fitness training. The bottom line is that once you have decided to be healthy, commitment plus motivation will be your keys to success.

There are many reasons why you should need a personal fitness training. Here are some of them:

1. You are not sure where to start

Most often than not, when you try to start a training program in a gym, you don’t know where to start. And even if you do, you cannot be too sure if it is the right one. With a personal trainer, you can maximise your time without having to overdo it. Best of all, your trainer will measure and assess your fitness level first. In this way, your trainer can identify the areas that need utmost attention and create a program targeting those areas.

2. You are not motivated

Admit it. Women like you find it hard to commit into an exercise training program. And even if getting out of shape is turning your world upside down, you still find it hard to find time to go to a gym or bootcamp and add fitness training to your daily routine. The good thing about personal fitness training for women is that your trainers give you all the motivation you need. He/she can be your friend when it comes to fitness and health. They can be true to you and provide you the best inspirational advice. Best of all, your trainer can monitor your progress.

3. You are bored with monotonous activities

If you find typical workouts boring because of their repetitive manner, then getting a personal fitness training workout can solve your woes. Your personal coach can bring a fresh angle into your workouts. These will create challenges for your body and mind and generate remarkable results. Your trainer will push you to do more than what you can originally do without having to max your limit, and this can be pretty challenging thus making your workout enjoyable.

Today, most gym and bootcamps provide personal training as a separate program. However, you can also enrol in a personal fitness training for women via outdoor group activities that limit their number of members or participants thus providing a personal training approach.

Hiring these fitness experts will certainly bring you lots of benefits.

• If you are new to exercise, private trainers can teach you how to start training and gradually increase the frequency  based on your needs and fitness level.
• Even fitness buffs who have long been exercising in a gym would still prefer to hire a personal trainer to cater to his/her specific needs. Generally, gym instructors could not provide the services that personal trainers could provide. At some point, these experts can always customise the way you train based on your condition, fitness level and the way your body respond to exercise.
• If you are a busy person, hiring trainers on a customised schedule can bring you more benefits on top of your health and fitness goals. With personal training, you and your coach could always compromise on a schedule that will work for both of you. Private trainers are quite critical as they supply motivation to their customers. They are able to generate schedule that even busy people can follow. Moreover, they also push their customers to carry out the regimen greater so that they can see the results that they want.

All these boil down to the fact that hiring a personal trainer is crucial specially if you want to see feasible results and maintain health and fitness. On the other hand, it is worth considering on ways in choosing the best trainer. This lets you maximise what you are paying for and get a lot more value for your money.

Nevertheless, there is truth in the saying that you are what you eat. Whatever type of food you eat, it will be digested into your body and will reflect its kind. For example, if you eat more fish you will have better chances of improving your protein intake and these are used by the body to build stronger bones and develop new cells. As a result, you will be less prone to bone and cell related diseases such as osteoporosis.

In the same way, if you eat more fatty and higher calorie foods, chances are you will gain weight. If you eat more vegetables and fruits, you will have a youthful, glowing skin. Therefore, if you want to practice weight management, it is important to watch the foods that you eat. Practice self-control. Most of the time, people tend to give way to cravings that they end up eating more than what they just really need.

The key to weight management is self-control. Once you have a good knowledge on what healthy living and feasible weight management is all about, you will be amazed on how your self-confidence will develop and improve. By then, you will start loving what you see in the mirror and probably start being vain, too. At some point, vanity helps us make healthy choices and help you put a strong conviction on weight management.

When you feel good about yourself, other people will see it within you.  Social psychologists say that whatever we do with ourselves, whether it is the type of food that we eat or the kinds of clothes that we wear, they all reflect the kind of image you want to project and will create your own social identification. So, if you don’t want to be branded as “chubby” or “fat” then it is high-time you start shaping yourself and your future. If you want to make a positive change in your life and bring back the self-confidence you once have, start looking at your food choices and re-assess everything. Imaging yourself – what you would look like if you eat foods that are high in calories or those that are rich in vitamins.

Life has many choices and everything depends on you. You are what you eat. Weight management can be easy or hard. It all depends on you. If you want to look healthy, eat healthy. Be healthy.

Taking up a personal training program will help patients who suffer from all types of malignancies, ranging from breast cancer to mesothelioma. Patients will be able to build their bodies up to become stronger and last longer, which is extremely important as they undergo treatment. It will also help people who need to develop a better peace of mind.

The bottom line is that being fit will increase a patient’s life expectancy and help a patient to look on the bright side after they have received a devastating diagnosis. Recovering from any type of cancer is not that different from participating in simple exercising. If you participate in fitness for any period of time, visit your doctor, or enroll in a course in school, you will pave a better path to living and get your heart pounding and your blood pumping. In turn, you will extend your chances of preventing disease that involve cancer and heart problems. Also, if you have successfully conquered disease and want to find a method of prevention so you do not have to experience the uncomfortable effects. Even since the ‘80s, research shows that taking part in aerobic exercise is proven to decrease nausea and fatigue that is present in cancer patients. The benefits have increased for today. Other studies show that aerobic exercise and weight training will have a great effect on the mind and body. As a result, you will decrease your pain and fatigue by a large percentage and increase your optimism.

It is evident that exercise plays a significant role in making breast cancer survivors better. Many cancer support advocates say that doctors should prescribe physical activity after medical evidence has proven that exercising can increase recovery and prevent other illnesses. This is especially true for older cancer patients who are weaker targets because cancers and treatments are linked to increased rates of decline. Also, many older cancer patients also usually undertake poor lifestyles. Numerous studies, mainly performed on women who have early signs of breast cancer, imply that physical activity can enhance cancer patients’ quality of life and decrease the side effects of the medication. Researchers are always trying to look more into the rehabilitative value of exercising and the best ways to give it.

In summary, exercising your mind and body, especially when you are undergoing a sickness, will further advance your wellbeing. You will strengthen your body, create a greater peace of mind, and promote relaxation with every thoughtful action you take. You can take part in this training gradually by starting off with brief exercises that last 5 to 15 minutes. Even though a cure is not guaranteed, preventative measures are not. Participating in a fitness program that involves regular, healthy eating and exercising will enhance physical and mental development, which is needed to increase a patient’s longevity.

That white, powdery substance just makes you feel good. You can’t get it off your mind, and you keep coming back for more. The more you have it, the more you want it! But even when you try to stay away from it, it finds ways to sneak into your life almost daily. What can you do?

We’re not talking about some dangerous or illegal drug here; we’re talking about sugar.

Although it’s considered harmless in comparison, sugar, in excess, can cause a host of problems for a lot of us: cravings, binge eating, weight gain and heart disease among them. According to the USDA, the average American consumed 151 pounds of sugar in 1999—an all time high. Since then, consumption has dropped slightly and in 2010 the average American consumed 132 pounds. (To put that into perspective, consider that the number was just 4 pounds in the year 1700.) At least half of the sugar we consume comes from soft drinks, fruit drinks, and sports drinks. The rest sneaks into our diets in the form of ketchup, teriyaki sauce, chocolate milk and the obvious sweets like cookies, cakes, ice cream and even breakfast cereal. Surprisingly, some “healthy foods” such as yogurt and instant oatmeal can pack in 20-30 grams (5-7 teaspoons) of unnecessary added sugar! It seems like we’re drowning in sugar, and nobody is wearing a life vest.

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that we limit our daily sugar consumption to 7% or less of our daily calorie intake—that’s about 6 teaspoons (100 calories) for women and 9 teaspoons (150 calories) for men. But that adds up fast. Just one 12-ounce can of regular soda contains 8-10 teaspoons of sugar and 130-150 calories. One glazed donut contains 6 teaspoons, and a half cup ice cream (the standard serving size, although most portions are much, much larger) contains 4 grams of added sugar!

Why Should You Care? Is Sugar Actually Bad for You?
Well, aside from the increased bulge around the waistline, diets high in sugar are strongly linked to an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, elevated triglycerides, low HDL (good) cholesterol levels, and heart disease. Sugar intake has also been linked to depression, migraines, poor eyesight, autoimmune diseases (such as arthritis, and multiple sclerosis), gout and osteoporosis.

Recent research has shown that a high intake of carbohydrates, including sugar, releases a feel good chemical in the brain called serotonin. Think of how you feel after indulging in a high sugar meal or treat—almost euphoric, right? The high of a sugar rush is temporary though. After a few hours—or even a few minutes—you start to crash and you become tired, fatigued and lethargic.

Although sweet foods are tempting and delicious to most people (blame Mother Nature for that!), the more sugar you eat, the higher your tolerance becomes. So if you have a strong sweet tooth or intense cravings for sugar, chances are not that you were born that way, but that your dietary habits and food choices created the sugar monster you may have become.

Fortunately, we can reverse this tolerance in just a couple of weeks by cutting out sugar. Once you have decreased your threshold, something that tasted perfectly sweet a few weeks ago, will begin to taste too sweet to eat, and that can help you reduce your intake of the sweet stuff.

Cutting Out Sugar: A 4-Week Action Plan
While the occasional sweet treat won’t make or break your weight loss or your health, many people have trouble stopping after a sensible portion or saying no to sugar when it’s available. If you feel out of control around sugar, then a sugar “detox” is a great way to reduce your cravings, eat better, and bring sugar back to where it belongs: as an occasional treat that you consciously choose to eat in a mindful manner, not a daily treat occurrence that controls you.

Follow this month-long plan to break your sugar addiction!

Week 1: Identify Sugar and Where It’s Hiding
The first step in conquering your sugar habit is to rid your pantry and refrigerator of added sugar. Some things (think ice cream, cookies and candy) are obvious, but most of us need to look closer at where the sugar in our diets is coming from. This will require a bit of label reading in the beginning, but after a while, it will become easier.

In order to cut back on hidden or added sugar, scan the ingredients list of a food label. If you see any of the following terms listed, then sugar has been added to the product in one form or another and it is best left on the shelf at the store—especially if that sugar shows up within the first five ingredients of any food product.

Agave nectar
Agave syrup
Barley malt
Beet sugar
Brown rice syrup
Brown sugar
Buttered syrup
Cane sugar
Cane juice
Cane juice crystals
Carob syrup
Confectioner’s sugar
Corn syrup
High fructose corn syrup
Corn sugar
Corn sweetener

Corn syrup solids
Crystalized fructose
Date sugar
Dextran
Dextrose
Diatase
Diastatic malt
Evaporated cane juice
Fructose
Fruit juice
Fruit juice concentrate
Glucose
Glucose solids
Golden sugar
Golden syrup
Grape sugar

Grape juice concentrate
Honey
Invert sugar
Lactose
Malt
Maltodextrain
Maltose
Maple syrup
Molasses
Raw sugar
Refiner’s syrup
Sorghum syrup
Sucanat
Sucrose
Sugar
Turbinado sugar
Yellow sugar

This first week is about awareness. Reading labels before you buy—or bite. How many of your favorite foods contain hidden sugars in the top of their ingredients lists?

Once you have identified the sources of sugar in your diet, clean out your kitchen. Throw out or donate all of the products that contain hidden or added sugars, including any juice, soda, candy, sweets and seemingly healthy snacks like granola bars, fruit and grain bars, instant oatmeal and sports drinks. This may sound drastic, but stay with me!

Remember, you don’t have to throw away everything that is sweet! Natural sugar, like the kind you find in whole fruit, contains vitamins, minerals and fiber, which are lost in the processing of juice. Milk contains naturally occurring sugars, but also provides calcium, vitamin D and protein. So unlike soda, fruit juices and other processed foods, whole fruit and dairy products provide us with essential vitamins and minerals that our bodies need. Be wary of certain fruit- or milk-based products that contain added sugars though: flavored milk, many yogurts, fruits canned or jellied in added sugar or syrups, and the like. Opt for unflavored skim or 1% milk, plain yogurt or Greek yogurt, and whole pieces of fruit. Remember, we are trying to cut out the 151 pounds a year of added sugar, not the naturally occurring sugar found in whole foods.

Week 2: Stock Your Sugar-Free Kitchen
In one week, you’ve probably found lots of sugar in your diet. Some of it may have been obvious, like those frozen waffles or lattes from the local coffee joint. But others might not have been so clear, as sugar tends to lurk in many “diet” foods and lower-fat foods, added by manufacturers to make their low-cal offerings taste better.

Now that you know what to look for (and avoid), it’s time to replace the products you tossed with sugar-free counterparts. For example, replace high-sugar cereals with a whole grain cereal that contains little to no added sugars. Sweeten it naturally with fresh berries or half of a diced banana. Instead of snacking on candy or cookies, reach for a handful of nuts or some raw veggies and hummus. Replace sweetened yogurt with Greek yogurt or plain yogurt. Look back at week one and the foods you used to eat that contained sugar. Can you find no-sugar oatmeal? A healthier snack than a sugar-sweetened smoothie (how about a whole piece of fruit)? A more filling afternoon treat than that sugary “protein bar” (such as peanut butter on whole-grain crackers)?

When choosing a refreshing beverage to quench your thirst, keep in mind that you want to eat your calories, not drink them. Choose ice cold water flavored with a squeeze of fresh lemon or an orange slice. Or flavor unsweetened iced tea with fresh mint, crushed raspberries, or a squeeze of citrus.

One tip to help you avoid added sugar at the supermarket is to shop the perimeter of the grocery store as much as possible. Think about the general layout of a grocery store: The outside is home to fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, dairy products, and whole grain breads and the inside aisles are stocked with cookies, chips, soda, fruit juice, cake mixes, and other processed foods. Spend most of your time on the outside and only go down the inner aisles for specific products, like whole-grain pasta.

Never shop on an empty stomach and always shop with a list. Shopping while hungry can lead you to adding all kinds of snacks and impulse buys to your cart. Meal planning can be a tricky task at first, but following a meal plan is an important part of breaking the sugar addiction. It will help to keep you on track and help prevent stopping for fast food when you don’t have a game plan for dinner. Spend a little time on Sunday afternoons jotting down some meal ideas for throughout the week. Make a list of the food items you will need to make the meals you wrote down and stick to it!

Week 3: Stop the Cravings
Now you really start to put your plan into action. You’ve identified the sources of added sugar in your diet and replaced those foods with healthier and more wholesome alternatives. Your kitchen is now set up for success!

This week’s focus should be on making a conscious effort to avoid sugary foods. When a craving strikes, try going for a walk or simply drinking a glass of water. Take a hot bath or get lost in a good book. Typically any craving will pass if you wait it out long enough. But it’s important to begin understanding the difference between true hunger and food cravings. If you are truly hungry, a handful of nuts or some raw veggies dipped in hummus will sound appetizing, so go ahead and eat one of your healthy snacks. But if you’re craving something sweet or a specific sugary food, use a distraction technique.

The first week of saying no to sugar will be the hardest, but the more diligently you stick to your plan, the better you’ll fare in the end. Even a tiny taste of sugar during this time period can lead to setbacks.

After a couple sugar-free weeks, your sugar threshold will start to decrease and you will find that you no longer crave sugar or sweets as you once did. As with any lifestyle change, the first couple of weeks are the hardest. Eventually, it will become habit to reach for a mint tea or piece of fruit instead of juice and candy.

Week 4: Game Plan for Life
Now that you have yanked that sweet tooth, it’s time to devise a plan to prevent a sugar relapse. Although sugar isn’t necessary for health and it’s perfectly fine if you want to continue avoiding it, it probably isn’t realistic for most people to avoid all forms of sugar forever.

So if you want to allow a little sweetness back into your life, that’s OK. Moderation is key. Don’t let sugar and sweets become a daily habit. Instead, consider them to be special occasion treats only. With your lowered threshold for sweetness, that shouldn’t be too hard. But if you begin to indulge too often or overindulge over a short period of time (such as a weeklong vacation), you could find yourself back in trouble with sugar all over again.

If you slip up, don’t beat yourself up over it. Accept your action and decide to make a better decision next time and move on. Continue to experiment with your new, healthy foods and recipes. You’d be surprised at how many ways you can make treats healthier and use far less sugar than a recipe suggests.

And remember: It generally takes about 3-4 weeks for a new behavior to become habit, the most important thing is to stick with it.

Remember hula hooping as a child? The sheer happiness and laughter it brought you? Well, those hooping skills are still inside you, bursting to come out.

In this one-hour class, we will use the principle of Hoop Yoga where spinning and stretching are combined in a fun, cardiovascular workout. It will be a mix of yoga poses and flow sequences, while hooping helps you strengthen your core, tone your arms and legs, and lets you shake ya booty to some awesome tunes.

Most importantly, Hoop Yoga is FUN. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never been on a yoga mat or in a hoop before. We promise it’s a fun workout that will make you smile. So join us for a wonderful, invigorating hour of fun and fulfillment.

Hooping is actually an innovative movement art where dance, play, yoga, fitness, bodywork and meditation come together in a beautiful symmetry.

Key benefits of hoop yoga are:

• Stress relief and letting go
• Core strengthening and toning
• Cardiovascular fitness
• Increase flexibility
• Complete workout for the body and mind

So, join us and experience being a child again. Renew your spirit and learn to let go. Gloria of Hoop Yoga will take you through a series of moves that engage the body. You are urged to listen to your body and advance according to how you feel that day.

When: Saturday, 27 August 2011

Time: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM

Where: Centennial Park (meeting spot at Centennial Park Cafe)

Cost: It is a free event!

RSVP: info@shefitness.com.au not later than Wednesday, 24 August 2011

BOOKINGS AND RESERVATION ESSENTIAL (only 10 spots available)