GetFit.com.au

Free Special Offers

I am always receiving emails asking me is it a real person behind the program design @ www.getfit.com.au or is it some computer designed program and automated answers like alot of US fitness sites.

I can proudly say I am the only person you deal with when you sign up to my online programs and your program is completely personalised to YOU from what days you prefer to work out, which equipment you have available, the amount of time you can train each session and your food preferences.

In line with the other special deals below email me on dean@getfit.com.au and I would like to offer you a FREE 15 minute telephone coaching session where you can ask me your most burning weight loss and fitness questions.

WE will set up an appointment time, I will call you and you can fire away weight loss questions which have been bugging you or we can discuss your own training and I can give you my feedback and professional advice.

Check out the fantastic offers below from free 7 day passes to gyms Australia wide as well as special deals on Boot Camps and 3 days free pass to Fitness First Clubs and more ............

gyms, health clubs, fitness clubs, fitness centres, personal training, personal trainers, bootcamp workouts , a yoga class, a pialtes class, ladies gyms, and leisure centres across Australia.

http://www.gymlink.com.au/page/14freedays

Posted by Dean at 08:04 AM | Permalink

If the Beijing Olympics inspired you to improve your athletic performance or just spend a little less time on the couch, the technology industry can help.

Gadgets and web services won't make you faster or stronger but, by recording your efforts and enabling you to measure your progress and compare against friends' or rivals' results, they'll provide plenty of motivation to keep striving for a personal best.

Continue reading "Fitness and Technology" »

Posted by Dean at 11:50 AM | Permalink

If you have Two Arms and Two Legs and no disability then you have no excuses !
Watching our Paralympic heroes on television is very inspiring for any able bodied person .

These athletes are competing at the highest level with all types of disabilities ranging from no arms or legs to paraplegics.

They dont have excuses - they just get out there and compete , not letting their disablity get in the way.
We can all learn something from these athletes in terms of motivation, persistance and discipline.

Continue reading "If you have Two Arms and Two Legs You...." »

Posted by Dean at 05:15 PM | Permalink

This is an excellent article on the benefits of gym/light weight training for cancer patients and how it can help them recover both physically and mentally.

Do you think if they are prescribing gym sessions for the patients of cancer then it could possibly reduce the risk of contracting cancer ? I think so !

Most people who frequent gyms are under the age of 40 but its actually people over the age of 40 who have the most to gain from lifting light weights and staying strong.

Over the age of 40 your strength and flexibility levels rapidly decline so just doing two thirty minute gym sessions as a minimum will make a huge difference.

If you have any questions on what would be the best gym program for you you can email me @ dean@getfit.com.au

Enjoy the read below and I hope it inspires you to get moving and hit the weights !

Dean Piazza
Your Online Personal Trainer
www.getfit.com.au

AS the group of women trickled into the aerobics studio at the Bendheim Integrative Medicine Center in Manhattan on a recent Thursday morning, there were subtle signs that this was no ordinary fitness class.

Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

Irene Logan at a water-based class at a Brooklyn Y.M.C.A.
One woman told the instructor that she had missed a string of previous classes because she was grappling with fatigue, a side effect of her new cancer medication. Others wore colorful wraps on their arms, containment sleeves meant to protect against lymphedema, a painful swelling of the arm stemming from breast cancer surgery.

Sponsored by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, this class for cancer patients has been around for some time, mostly in a league by itself. But in recent years, following studies that found exercise to be beneficial in combating the effects of cancer, the class has gained some company.

Gyms and fitness centers have begun stepping in to meet a small but growing demand for programs designed to not only hasten recovery but to address the fatigue of chemotherapy, the swelling of lymphedema and the loss of muscle tone.

Continue reading "Said the Doctor to the Cancer Patient: Hit the Gym" »

Posted by Dean at 04:46 PM | Permalink

This is an inspiring story to anybody who thinks they are old at 40 !

Dara Torres who at 41 is competing with and beating girls who on average are in their early twenties !

She finished with an olympic silver medal in the 50m sprint @ Beijing Olympics so read on below ladies and let it inspire you to achieve your goals-no matter what your age !

If you think you can you can and if you think you cant you cant ...................

Dean Piazza
Your Online Personal Coach
www.getfit.com.au

Beth Walsh is swimming laps again at age 57. Stasi Turrell has returned to walking, 13 weeks after giving birth to her fourth child. And Geralin Thomas is lifting hand weights and skipping rope at 47.

Until recently, all three women had fallen off their fitness programs.

That was before Dara Torres

Torres, 41, became the oldest Olympic swimming medalist Sunday when she anchored the U.S. women's 4x100-meter freestyle relay to a silver medal finish. She has now won 10 Olympic medals and will go for an 11th when she competes in the 50-meter freestyle.

Make that 11 medals - she finished with a sliver medal in the 50 m sprint !

click here to read the full story

Posted by Dean at 12:10 AM | Permalink

This is a good article which encourages the use of email support and motivation to help people achieve
their goals. Online coaching programs are really gaining in popularity which is great as after helping
thousands of people over the last 10 years as an online personal trainer I have seen some amazing
transformations - all from people having that little bit of accountability, support and motivation .

Dean Piazza
www.getfit.com.au

Studies find that regular nudges help keep fitness on track

Kimberly Thomas-McPherson likes to walk for exercise. But as a single mother of two who works a full-time job at night and goes to college during the day, physical activity isn’t always high on her priority list.

So when Thomas-McPherson, 43, heard about a pilot study aimed at getting people to stick to their exercise routine, she signed up — and was pleasantly surprised when it gave her program a boost.

What was the secret? E-mail.

Continue reading "You’ve got mail - now get moving !" »

Posted by Dean at 12:29 AM | Permalink

Below is a great article on celebrities and the workouts they do to stay in shape.

It proves there is no magic exercise to stay in shape - just do what you enjoy and do it
regularly and it wont feel like a chore - just something you do to feel good about life
and help you look great along the way !

Below is a list of stars who do yoga, boxing,weight training, jogging, pilates, surfing,
cycling and swimming.

Stars are always on the lookout for new ways to challenge their mind and body so if you
are bored with your current routine sont be afraid to try new ways to mix up your training.

Stay Strong
Dean Piazza
www.getfit.com.au

Continue reading "Celebrity Workouts" »

Posted by Dean at 07:42 PM | Permalink

Everybody needs inspiration and who better to inspire and motivate you during winter than our Olympic athletes.

These athletes are world class and have been aiming for this goal for at least 4 years so take a leaf out of their book and learn to apply yourself over the long term to be the be a champion in whatever you would like to do.

There are no medals for losing weight but we can all learn from their discipline, goal setting, motivation and the way they think .

Being successful at anything you do requires you to think like an Olympian and be positive and focussed.
Check out our Aussie Olympians below and the stories behind their journey.

http://www.olympics.com.au/

Do you need Motivation ? Support ? Direction ? Plan of Attack ?

Complete the form here to get the ball rolling

https://www.getfit.com.au/registration.html

Stay Strong
Dean Piazza
www.getfit.com.au

Posted by Dean at 10:36 AM | Permalink

IF YOUR fitness regime has been thrown off course by a bout of flu, a cold or the dreaded norovirus (which causes gastroenteritis), you are certainly not alone. But how, in that sluggish post-viral period, do you gauge whether it is safe to start exercising again?

Continue reading "Working Out In Winter" »

Posted by Dean at 03:54 PM | Permalink

This is a great event which gets bigger every year and now is held in locations right around Australia

Get involved, Get fit and make a difference to people who are diagnosed with breast cancer

The Mothers Day Classic gives you the chance to make a real difference to the lives of those diagnosed with breast cancer. Make a difference by simply walking, running or sponsoring a participant, to help raise vital funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

In 2008 the Mothers Day Classic will be held on Sunday 11 May in capital cities and regional areas across Australia
Click here for more info

http://www.mothersdayclassic.org/

Posted by Dean at 10:48 AM | Permalink

The Australian Fitness Expo continues to be the largest fitness and wellness expo in the Asia/Pacific region injecting powerful new ideas into this rapidly changing and fast growing industry.

To be staged at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney, Australia from 18 -20 April 2008, this major industry event will host an entire hall dedicated to commercial equipment and services for the fitness industry and will feature over 220 local and international exhibitors showcasing hundreds of new products and services including fitness & training equipment, nutrition & supplements, clothing, apparel & music, martial arts, training aids and business solutions..... Click below to read more :

http://www.fitnessexpo.com.au/

Posted by Dean at 10:56 PM | Permalink

Entries filling fast!

UPDATE: Please note that entries for the half marathon are filling fast. Due to the change of the start and finish line race organisers have been able to release a limited amount of extra running positions. These places are strictly limited though and once filled the race will close.

On Sunday 18 May 2008 over 5000 runners will surge into the CBD to compete in the 17th annual race.

This year will mark a new journey for the Half Marathon changing the locations of the start and finish lines. Runners will begin and finish the race at Hyde Park. The race route itself is unchanged and will still take in the breathtaking views that Sydney has to offer

Ps If you would like a personalised running program for the half marathon or any running event or distance
email info@getfit.com.au and Dean will personally respond to your questions.

Click Below for more information and to enter online

http://halfmarathon.smh.com.au/

Posted by Dean at 01:08 PM | Permalink

Large numbers of weekend warriors, casual tennis buffs and irregular joggers suffer sports-related injuries every week. One study conducted by Professor Kerry Mummery and colleagues from Central Queensland University estimated that more than one in 10 people had sprained a muscle, torn a ligament or broken a bone in the sporting arena.

Many of these injuries are passed off as minor problems, says Green, who is now a specialist sports doctor with Sports Medicine Australia. ..........................
Click below to see which exercises are best to do to prevent injuries when out exercising :

http://www.abc.net.au/health/features/stories/2008/03/05/2174010.htm

Posted by Dean at 07:23 PM | Permalink

Sydney, Saturday March 29, 2008

Get your team together and register now for Sydney’s 3rd Volvo City Chase.
2008 will be guaranteed to push you mentally and physically, with ChasePoints designed to be harder and the course bigger than ever!

Once again as the first event on the global schedule Sydney will not disappoint as a day of Laughter, Adventure and Discovery! With 6 hours of non-stop action, the Volvo City Chase will be a Chase to remember!!!

The Volvo City Chase will be held on Saturday March 29, with details on the Start and Finish Line, registration times and other details you will need to be revealed in the New Year.

Registrations are open for Teams of 2 and the Corporate Chase now!!!!

To get a taste of what teams got up to around the world in 2007 check out this you tube clip

http://www.citychase.com/compupdates.asp?compid=sydney&evt=australia

Posted by Dean at 12:04 PM | Permalink

If your resolution to get in shape always ends in failure, the problem may be in your head, not your work-out. Sam Murphy reports.

Personal training used to be all about whipping your body into shape. No more - hire a personal trainer these days and chances are you'll exercise some mental muscle, too.

"Exercise itself isn't rocket science," says Pete Cohen, a health and wellbeing coach trained in human psychology and behaviour. "It's getting people to enjoy it and stick with it in the long term that's the real challenge."

Continue reading "Fear of fitness more than physical" »

Posted by Dean at 03:14 PM | Permalink

According to a Australian Psychological Society (APS) survey of people's health behaviours, lots of people plan to change their diet and exercise habits, but very few people stick to their resolutions.

To survive the six-month crunch point, the APS says it helps to identify your predominant thinking style: comfort, achievement or approval.

While everyone may use all three styles of thinking at some stage, developing a better understanding of your dominant thinking style can help you identify which strategies will help you stay motivated.

Rate yourself on the 12 questions below to identify your thinking style and find the most suitable approach suggested by the APS to help you keep those New Year's resolutions and improve your health.

http://www.abc.net.au/health/quizzestools/quizzes/2007/12/20/2115581.htm

Posted by Dean at 04:57 PM | Permalink

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Posted by Dean at 11:46 AM | Permalink

People who perform the same amount of exercise can lose different amounts of weight, according to the first evidence-based study to show that exercise impacts people in different ways.

The study involved 35 overweight and obese people who followed a supervised exercise program for 12 weeks. The program was modified so that each person would burn 500 calories per session.

They did not, however, all lose the same amount of weight.

Continue reading "Exercise Isn't One Size Fits All" »

Posted by Dean at 11:24 AM | Permalink

http://www.getfit.com.auTHE 30-minute workout has spread across Australia, with new centres popping up in suburbs across the nation.

But what’s involved in a 30-minute workout and is it here to stay or is it simply a fad? While circuit training has been around for ages in gyms, it is the only thing on offer at many of the new wave of fitness centres.

Linda Drummond - Daily Telegraph

Continue reading "30 minute Workouts" »

Posted by Dean at 04:21 PM | Permalink

Fitness First and MBF proudly present Get Active Sydney (GAS) 2007

www.getactivesydney.com.au

FREE DAY OUT: Sunday 18th November, 10am - 3pm
"The Showring" - The Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park

Get Active Sydney (GAS) is a free, interactive sports, health and lifestyle festival brought to you by Fitness First and MBF. GAS's mission is to encourage adults and children to "Get Active" by participating in simple, fun-filled sports, exercises and activities

www.getactivesydney.com.au

Posted by Dean at 08:08 PM | Permalink

Getting to the gym is half the battle but how do you maintain motivation?

A recent Newspoll survey of 979 Fitness First health club members found that 63 per cent of gym goers opted out of a work-out at least once a week

Continue reading "Mind over Muscle" »

Posted by Dean at 12:22 PM | Permalink

Tailor your exercise program to suit your shape.

I always imagined I had an hourglass figure; very Marilyn Monroe, very Sophia Loren, very Scarlett Johansson. When I discovered I was an apple - prone to a big stomach and a flat bum - I can't tell you how disappointed I was. Luckily, all is not lost

Continue reading "Learning to Love Apples" »

Posted by Dean at 01:10 AM | Permalink

Researchers say that wearing compression stockings to exercise could benefit everyone from top level runners to casual walkers.

Dr Ajmol Ali, a sport and exercise scientist at Massey University's Institute of Food, Nutrition and Human Health, plans to study how compression stockings benefit the performance of people exercising.

Continue reading "Compression stockings benefit exercise: researchers" »

Posted by Dean at 07:32 AM | Permalink

Human growth hormone, naturally produced, helps keep you lean and strong.

When you dig into the biology of why ageing makes human bodies look old, it's not hard to see why serious exercise is the nearest thing to a youth drug. The reason the body of a 60-year-old looks different from that of a 30-year-old isn't just the wrinkling of its outer casing, but what's happening to the stuffing inside - when muscle and bone start shrinking, bodies sag and posture droops.

The good news is there's an antidote: building muscle.

Continue reading "Keep Fit - Stay Young" »

Posted by Dean at 06:14 AM | Permalink

Part of an ongoing study into the impact of drinking milk after heavy weightlifting has found that milk helps exercisers burn more fat.

The study by researchers at McMaster University and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, was conducted by the Department of Kinesiology's Exercise Metabolism Research Group, lead by Stuart Phillips.

Continue reading "Drinking Milk After Exercise Encourages Muscle Gain And Fat Loss, Study Finds" »

Posted by Dean at 06:14 AM | Permalink

Most people over the age of 35 suffer from tight hamstrings mainly due to desk jobs, inactivity or
from a lack of flexibility training.
Tight hamstrings can cause back, hip and knee pain or what is commonly known as sciatica
One of the best hamstrings stretches I have come across which is easy to do,
doesnt place any strain on your back
and really stretches out those hamstrings involves using a towel as per below

Lying on your back pull your foot/toes back toward your shin as far as you can control.
Keep the leg straight - use a towel/rope around the top part of foot and slowly raise the leg
Hold stretch for 20-30 seconds
Alternate between right and left leg 2-3 times
Repeat 2-3 times per week depending on tightness

Posted by Dean at 09:06 AM | Permalink

The Tour de France is no longer a late-night gimmick for Australian Francophiles to watch on television in search of inspiration for their next European vacation. Neither is cycling a sport that Australian fans take up for one month a year to "experience" the pain the Tour riders go through, in the short time these fans have left between sitting up at all hours to watch the great race and putting in a full day at work.

Click here for the full story

Posted by Dean at 05:41 AM | Permalink

Pregnancy doesn't mean you'll be kicked out of the aerobics class, but there are precautions to take.

With pregnancy, they will tell you these things: don't get too hot; make sure you have plenty to drink; make sure you have a snack handy; don't do anything that feels really wrong; stop if you feel faint; don't do high-impact aerobics; don't do abdominal exercises that necessitate lying on your back. You see how fast I did that? It will take them about 20 minutes and the rest of the class will look really bored, and they'll all give you dirty looks, and you'll wish you were dead. "Why isn't she in maternity spin?" their faces will say.

Continue reading "Pregnancy and Exercise" »

Posted by Dean at 07:52 AM | Permalink

If you believe running is bad for the knees or that yoga helps a sore back, think again, reports Peta Bee.

Working-out can be not only tough and time-consuming, it is often downright bamboozling. Listen to all the advice about which sort of exercise to choose and you might be excused for wanting to hang up your trainers in despair. To simplify gym matters, let's see how the five biggest fitness myths stack up against scientific fact.

Continue reading "Fitness Myths" »

Posted by Dean at 03:35 AM | Permalink

Daily activity lowers your risk of surgery

-- A fitness routine can cut your risk of uterine fibroids by 40%, finds a George Washington University study. Women who were active for an hour or more a day had nearly half as many of the noncancerous tumors as sedentary women. Start moving today: Four out of five women may develop fibroids, and 25% go under the knife to stop symptoms such as pain and bleeding. Exercise seems to regulate estrogen and insulin, hormones that may spur fibroid growth. So walk, garden, or clean the house--it all counts.

Source: American Journal of Epidemiology

Posted by Dean at 02:28 AM | Permalink

Yoga or Pilates? Running or aerobics? Deciding to get fit is the easy part: choosing how to go about it is difficult.

RUNNING V AEROBICS

Continue reading "Working it Out" »

Posted by Dean at 11:27 PM | Permalink

If you have trouble doing pushups this is a great way to build up your strength so that eventually you can progress to doing full pushups on the floor
The further you are forward on the ball the harder this exercise becomes so initially try it with the ball under your hips

Posted by Dean at 10:28 AM | Permalink

Most people go to the gym to look better but exercise can have unintended consequences.

If there is one glaring false assumption made by the fitness industry in its attempts to lure us to the nearest gym, it is that we sign up purely to get fit and healthy. What really drives those who flock to these temples of body worship is vanity.

Continue reading "Gym Pursuits" »

Posted by Dean at 06:00 PM | Permalink

Think work feels like a treadmill now? Try a new desk designed at the Mayo Clinic.

They built what they called a "vertical workstation" - a desk fitted over a standard treadmill. They persuaded 15 obese people to work at this treadmill-desk and measured how many calories they burned.

If an overweight office worker used this vertical workstation all day, every day for a year, he or she could lose up to 30 kg, the researchers report in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Continue reading "Treadmill desk shows path to weight loss" »

Posted by Dean at 09:36 AM | Permalink

Find a way to simultaneously scrub a frying pan and dig up a vegie patch, and you may have just clocked-up a near-perfect incidental work-out.

Continue reading "Worldwide Workout" »

Posted by Dean at 04:05 PM | Permalink

“Amazing offer for the month of May 07 - We have 20 FREE Spin Bikes only ''

The easiest way to Get Fit and Stay Fit this winter is with our Free Spin Bike Offer

Sign up to our 16 week Online Personal Training program and you will receive

a FREE Spin Bike Valued at $799.

Getfit.com.au is an online service where you can get a fitness, diet and weight loss routine that’s personally designed for you by award winning personal trainer Dean Piazza

Click here for more Information

Posted by Dean at 12:37 AM | Permalink

Urban adventurers from Australia and around the world are gearing up for the return of City Chase to Sydney on 17 March 2007, when the city will once again be turned into a giant obstacle course to kick off the first leg of the largest urban adventure competition on earth.

The 2007 Volvo City Chase is a part urban obstacle course, part scavenger hunt race that is open to anyone over the age of 18, and features teams of two racing around the city to complete a series of unique physical, mental, and humorous challenges and return to the finish line in the fastest time.

Specific plans for the Sydney City Chase event challenges are strictly under wraps, but previous races have pushed competitors to their physical and mental limits, including everything from eating live crickets, to swinging on a flying trapeze, to underwater bowling

Continue reading "WORLD’S LARGEST URBAN ADVENTURE" »

Posted by Dean at 07:51 AM | Permalink

It's no secret exercise is good for you, but for some breast cancer patients, group exercise can do a lot to strengthen the body and heal the spirit.
Researchers from Scotland studied more than 200 women with early stage breast cancer to find out if group exercise was beneficial

Continue reading "Exercise as Breast Cancer Therapy" »

Posted by Dean at 08:51 AM | Permalink

That morning cup of coffee may be an antidote to post-exercise muscle soreness, if preliminary research is correct.

In a small study of female college students, researchers found that a caffeine supplement seemed to lessen the familiar muscle pain that crops up the day after a particularly challenging workout

Continue reading "Sore post-gym muscles? Try coffee" »

Posted by Dean at 11:36 PM | Permalink

8 easy ways to keep working out on top of your to-do list.

Don’t beat yourself up for ditching that workout in the holiday crunch. You’re not alone. Even personal trainers, those models of toned muscles and firm tummies, sometimes feel the urge to slack. And after an entire day spent helping other people keep moving, who wouldn’t? So we tapped our favorite trainers for the secrets they use to keep themselves inspired. Here are their tips—in their own words. Give one a try the next time you’re tempted to abandon cardio for your couch.

Continue reading "Get-Moving Tips from the Pros" »

Posted by Dean at 08:55 AM | Permalink

8 easy ways to keep working out on top of your to-do list.

Don’t beat yourself up for ditching that workout in the holiday crunch. You’re not alone. Even personal trainers, those models of toned muscles and firm tummies, sometimes feel the urge to slack. And after an entire day spent helping other people keep moving, who wouldn’t? So we tapped our favorite trainers for the secrets they use to keep themselves inspired. Here are their tips—in their own words. Give one a try the next time you’re tempted to abandon cardio for your couch.

Continue reading "Get-Moving Tips from the Pros" »

Posted by Dean at 08:55 AM | Permalink

Here are two more reasons to exercise: It may help prevent breast cancer and can be a safer way to lose weight than dieting, doctors have said.

One report from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, said a study of women aged 55 to 69 found that those with the highest physical activity levels when the study began had a 14 percent lower risk of developing breast cancer than those who got low levels of exercise.

Continue reading "Two more reasons to exercise" »

Posted by Dean at 06:53 AM | Permalink

If you're a regular exerciser, you may have heard of "interval training." Generally speaking, it means adding short bursts of intensity - such as speed - between periods of active recovery.

The basic premise of intervals is that they allow you to get your heart rate up to a pace that you can't normally achieve during a simple moderate paced workout. But, because you can't sustain that high intensity for long periods of time, you drop down to your moderate pace for a period of "active recovery." Once you've sufficiently recovered, you do another short burst of intensity. You continue this pattern through your entire workout.

Proponents of interval training believe that it helps burn calories faster than a standard, steady-pace workout. It can also help build speed or strength in endurance athletes.

Here are some simple ways to add intervals to your workouts:

Continue reading "Add Intervals to Your Workout" »

Posted by Dean at 02:46 PM | Permalink

Ask anyone who has competed in a fun run and there is every chance they remember the moment they were overtaken by a person in their 60s. As you clock up another birthday, it's not so much age that decides what you can and can't do, but how you've used your body in the preceding years.

Pitted against a seasoned 50-year-old runner, an untrained, desk-bound person in his or her 20s is likely to run out of steam first, which is why exercise physiologists no longer pigeonhole people according to age. "We think in terms of a person's functional age - meaning how active they are and what they can do physically - rather than chronological age," says exercise physiologist Chris Tzar, who is the manager of the Lifestyle Clinic at the University of NSW's faculty of medicine.

Continue reading "Chronological age be damned - it's your functional age that matters" »

Posted by Dean at 10:19 PM | Permalink

The latest exercise craze has devotees wheelbarrowing their way to weight loss.

Building workers have a reputation for baring more than is easy on the eye. Which makes the appeal of the latest fitness trend from the US somewhat questionable - for the fiterati are flocking to do builders' workouts in a bid to tone up.

Continue reading "Body builders" »

Posted by Dean at 07:39 PM | Permalink

Get Active Sydney (GAS) is a free, interactive sports, health and lifestyle festival brought to you by Fitness First and MBF. GAS's mission is to encourage adults and children to "Get Active" by participating in simple, fun-filled sports, exercises and activities

Get Active Sydney will take place on Sunday 3rd December 2006 from 10am - 4pm
@ The Entertainment Quarter (formerly Fox Studios), Lang Road, Moore Park, Sydney
For more info click below

http://www.getactivesydney.com.au

Posted by Dean at 09:48 AM | Permalink

Regular Exercise Better at Upping Energy Than Stimulants, Study Shows.

By Jennifer Warren, MD
WebMD Medical News

Nov. 3, 2006 -- Feeling tired? A walk may be better than a nap for boosting energy and fighting fatigue.

New research suggests regular exercise can increase energy levels even among people suffering from chronic medical conditions associated with fatigue, like cancer and heart disease.

It may seem counterintuitive, but researchers say expending energy by engaging in regular exercise may pay off with increased energy in the long run

Continue reading "Exercise Fights Fatigue, Boosts Energy" »

Posted by Dean at 04:49 AM | Permalink

Originally employed by Swiss physiotherapists to help children with cerebral palsy, the fitball, or Swiss ball, rose to fame in the late '90s along with the formidable catch-cry of "core strength".

Because fitball exercises require you to balance before you crunch, they're more effective than traditional sit-ups at tapping into the deep abdominal muscles that wrap around your spine and keep you upright.

Your co-workers aren't just showing off when they perch at their desks on a pearly orb: beginning with as little as 10 minutes at a time, you can work the washboard as you attack the keyboard.

Continue reading "Fitball Made Simple" »

Posted by Dean at 11:18 AM | Permalink

Seven steps to a six-pack that will get you noticed

Forget, for a moment, that the shape of your midsection largely determines how good you’ll look on the beach this summer and how well you’ll play beach bats. We’ll get back to that in a minute. The pursuit of abs goes deeper. You strive for a six-pack as though your life depended on it – and now science has proven that it does.

At a recent meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity, research was presented stating that waist circumference is more conclusive than either weight or body-mass index (BMI) as a measure of disease risk.

Cardiologist Dr Arthur Agatston, author of The South Beach Diet, puts it this way: “Abdominal fat is different and more dangerous than fat elsewhere. Unlike fat directly under the skin, belly fat, which adheres to organs, is associated with increases in C-reactive protein and other markers of in? ammation that can lead to heart disease.”

Motivated yet? Good. We trust you will lay off the chips and onion rings. Remember, it doesn’t matter how wisely you work your abs: if your body fat is too high, they won’t show (for most men, anything over 10 percent body fat will keep your abs in hiding).

Continue reading "Unleash Your Abs" »

Posted by Dean at 05:55 PM | Permalink

Almost everyone can exercise in some way. For some people, the most convenient approach is a home gym. There are many options in exercise machines to help burn calories and increase cardiovascular fitness.

Depending on your age, activity preferences, budget and health, some aerobic exercise machines may be more suited to your needs. The October issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter covers some options

Continue reading "Home is where the Gym is" »

Posted by Dean at 01:45 PM | Permalink

There are many different causes of heel pain, but the most common cause is plantar fasciitis. If you experience a sharp pain in your heel when you first step down in the morning, it is most likely due to plantar fasciitis. This problem is a result of excess stress through a long ligament type structure (the plantar fascia) in the bottom of the foot. The excess stress causes tearing and results in inflammation and pain. The classic symptoms are pain in the heel at the first step in the morning, or upon rising after long periods of rest. Many will complain of a sharp pain in the heel when they step out of their car or after finishing their lunch break. Other individuals only experience heel pain at the end of the day or during certain types of activity like running, soccer or tennis. The pain may extend into the arch and feel achy at the end of the day.

Continue reading "Fifteen Ways to fight heel pain" »

Posted by Dean at 12:15 PM | Permalink

In a diet-obsessed world, we all have our own dream of the perfect weight-loss solution: a potato-chip diet, a pill that trims belly fat or, best of all, an exercise that builds lots of muscle with little work. The Power Plate, a new workout machine that looks like a doctor’s office scale on steroids, claims to do just that.

According to Power Plate’s manufacturers, if you stand on the machine’s vibrating plates for 10 minutes a day three times a week, you will lose weight, increase bone density and improve your overall health. But is that really possible?

Continue reading "Can a vibrating platform provide an easy workout?" »

Posted by Dean at 04:51 PM | Permalink

Years of living with Cushing's syndrome, a hormonal disorder, had caused Kari Hyer's muscles and bones to weaken. After undergoing surgery to treat the condition, she needed to rebuild her strength but weight machines "felt horrible," says Hyer, who lives in Gwynedd Valley, Pa., outside of Philadelphia.

So she began doing yoga and Pilates, both of which helped. But she credits Gyrotonics — billed as a combination of gymnastics, ballet, swimming and yoga that simultaneously stretches and strengthens the body — with really turning things around.

Continue reading "Alternative to yoga and Pilates freshens up fitness routines" »

Posted by Dean at 12:05 PM | Permalink

LONDON - The standard measure of obesity known as body mass index, or BMI, is badly flawed and a more accurate gauge should be developed, according to doctors in the United States.

Writing in Friday’s Lancet medical journal, the researchers from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minn., found that patients with a low BMI had a higher risk of death from heart disease than those with normal BMI.

At the same time overweight patients had better survival rates and fewer heart problems than those with a normal BMI

Continue reading "Time to toss the body mass index?" »

Posted by Dean at 12:02 PM | Permalink

WEDNESDAY, July 26 (HealthDay News) -- If you've been way too sedentary lately, you're not alone. More than half of Americans aren't active enough to meet the U.S. government recommendation for exercise -- at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity most days of the week.

Excuses run the gamut, but getting bored is a biggie.

And now, that excuse is becoming pretty passé.

Anyone with a computer or a handheld device like an iPod can take advantage of all the new avenues to fitness, including virtual personal trainers, podcasts and video streaming.

Exercise is now coming to you.

Continue reading "Welcome to the E-Exercise Revolution" »

Posted by Dean at 02:22 PM | Permalink

Okay, I know what you're thinking ‑- people who get up in the morning to hit the gym, run, bike or do any other kind of exercise are obviously fitness-obsessed weirdos. They must be superhuman, ultramotivated, type-A personalities who don't understand the importance of a good night's sleep ‑- or of hitting the snooze button.

Or maybe they just know something you don't. People who exercise in the morning often have more energy during the day. They also have time after work to run errands, enjoy their families or just chill in front of Desperate Housewives. Maybe they also

Continue reading "Good Morning Sunshine" »

Posted by Dean at 01:45 PM | Permalink

Couch potatoes can lower their risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and other health conditions, if they start spending as much time exercising as they previously spent being inactive, new study findings suggest.

In the study, men and women whose health and fitness deteriorated when they volunteered to be physically inactive for six months, had a complete reversal of most of the subsequent deterioration in health measures when they increased their activity level during the next six months.

"Inactivity is worse than we thought," study co-author Jennifer L. Robbins, an exercise physiologist at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, said. Yet, she said, "a little bit of activity can make a big difference."

Robbins presented her team's findings during last week's annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine, held in Denver, Colorado.

Continue reading "Hope for couch potatoes" »

Posted by Dean at 03:48 PM | Permalink

Take off at least one day a week and alternating hard days with moderate-to-light days can assist recovery.
By John Briley, Washington Post
June 5, 2006

We know what happens when you don't get enough exercise — muscles get weak, energy droops, mood and sleep patterns go haywire and flab creeps in. But what happens when you get too much physical activity? Re-read the first sentence of this paragraph.

Overtraining can produce many of the symptoms of under-exercising (aside from the excess fat). But how do you know if you're pushing it too hard, especially when people are telling you to work out regularly and with some intensity?

Continue reading "Go for the burn, not the burnout" »

Posted by Dean at 12:32 AM | Permalink

Researchers have called for an overhaul of exercise guidelines after a study found differences in the benefits of walking between obese and normal-weight people.

A study by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) found walking for as little as 30 minutes at a "pleasurable" pace could improve fitness in the obese.

But Professor Andrew Hills said it also found walking at the same pace would do nothing for the average-sized person.

Continue reading "Exercise Guidelines ''Wrong''" »

Posted by Dean at 03:41 PM | Permalink

For most people who exercise in the morning, there is no getting around the question: Eat and run? Or run and eat later ?

Fitness experts will say that eating first provides fuel for a proper workout. But according to one common belief, exercising on an empty stomach forces the body to tap into its reserves, burning off calories stored as fat and providing a more efficient workout. So who is right?

Continue reading "The Claim: You Burn More Fat by Exercising on an Empty Stomach" »

Posted by Dean at 11:42 AM | Permalink

Never confuse activity with achievement," advised former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. His dictum holds as true at the gym as on the court.

We've all seen health club regulars who never seem to miss a day of working out yet never seem to make any improvements in their bodies. Worse yet, many of us are those people--eager to lose weight, build muscle and tone the abs. But somehow, it just isn't happening.

Fortunately, the problem may be simple to fix. Take a look around the gym. See the man peddling away slowly on the exercise bike while reading a magazine? The woman chatting on her cell phone while attempting leg curls? The two guys holding a conversation while lifting weights? They are all guilty of sabotaging their workouts--sometimes by transferring couch-potato habits to the gym, other times by not being smart about workout choices.

Continue reading "The Sabotage Workout" »

Posted by Dean at 05:32 PM | Permalink

Choosing home exercise equipment can be tricky. Before you know it, you're handing over a wad of cash or signing a credit card slip for a clunky gadget that’s only going to gather dust in your sitting room. Here are some things to keep in mind when looking to buy fitness equipment for your home.

Choose something that suits your goals.
This may sound obvious, but buy equipment that compliments the activities you do. If you walk regularly, think about a stair-stepper, elliptical machine or stationary cycle. And remember, there is no one magic machine that does it all. The complete home gym includes cardiovascular equipment, some strength-training equipment and a place to stretch.
Measure.
Make sure you have room for the equipment you're considering. Will it fit through the door and around the tight corners of your staircase? If space is a problem, look for movable, collapsible or small equipment. For instance, you can now get a pair of dumbbells that takes up no more space than a flower vase and adjusts from 5 pounds up to 65 pounds. Fitness balls, jump ropes, steps and tubing are also good, compact choices.
Be realistic: What is your fitness level?
An exercise that looks easy when an Olympic athlete demonstrates it on the television can be tough when you try it out yourself. If this machine requires a high level of coordination and fitness, you may want to rethink your purchase.
Do you really need that?
Carefully consider the expensive bits and bobs that come on some machines. Many add-ons go unused and may ultimately be a waste of money. The 'extras' that help track distance or time add value only if they inspire you to exercise consistently

Continue reading "10 Tricks Of Buying Home Exercise Equipment" »

Posted by Dean at 03:32 PM | Permalink

HEARD about spinning and wondered what it's all about? Simple, it's a furiously fat-burning exercise that's dangerously addictive.

MANY gym bunnies have given aerobics and weight machines the heave-ho so they can hop on their bikes, and they're seeing serious results. Now if your memory of exercise bikes is the boring old thing in the corner of the gym, prepare to be surprised. Spinning is where it's at these days, and with the rush a class gives, it's no wonder.

what is spinning?

Continue reading "Spinning Takes Off" »

Posted by Dean at 09:35 PM | Permalink

It is a common belief that certain types of exercise can be ageing. Some people fear that excessive jogging may prematurely age facial skin — think of all that repeated bouncing up and down — when

Continue reading "Is exercise Ageing ?" »

Posted by Dean at 02:11 PM | Permalink

Pre-season training in rugby league traditionally consists of endurance and strength training, creating a sound fitness base on which to build.

"We use hill running, boxing and wrestling, plus three strength sessions a week, to get players to an excellent level of fitness," says Ben Gardiner, the Roosters' sport science co-ordinator.

But this season the Roosters have added an extra element. Over the past 10 weeks, regular pilates sessions have been working wonders for the team.

Continue reading "In League With Pilates" »

Posted by Dean at 01:53 PM | Permalink