Ab-fabulous

Working your core will improve your posture, balance and overall fitness and can be achieved by following a few simple exercises. We caught up with Max Matzick, personal trainer at Goodlife Health Clubs No.1 Martin Place, to find out how.

#1: The V-up
1. Sitting down, balance your body in a V position by leaning back slightly with your feet off the ground.
2. Bracing the abs with legs straight out, reach toward the toes then lower your legs down to the floor (not letting your feet touch the ground) before sitting back up.
3. Advanced: continue the movement with one hand reaching towards the opposing leg to increase oblique recruitment.
4. Do 10 reps with both hands, 10 with your right hand reaching for the left leg and 10 with your left hand reaching for the right leg.


 
#2: Knee tucks
1. Sitting on the edge of a bench, lean back at a 45-degree angle and place your hands on the bench by your sides.
2. Hold your legs out straight with your feet together just off the floor and bring your knees in towards your chest then straighten your legs out again. (This is one rep.)
3. Advanced: with shoulders back and hands by your sides, repeat this exercise trying not to roll backwards.
4. Complete 20 slow and controlled reps for best results.


#3: Hanging leg raises
1. Hanging from a chin-up bar and keeping your feet off the ground, straighten and raise both legs at the same time so that you are at a 90-degree angle.
2. If this is too difficult, bring your knees up instead and extend your legs out in front, then bend the legs and extend again.
3. Advanced: keep your legs straight and raise them up past the chin-up bar.
4. Try for 10 slow and controlled reps for 3-5 sets.


#4: Sit, lean and reach
1. Sitting down with knees bent, place feet flat on the floor at about 25cm away from your body.
2. Starting in a tucked position, lean back slowly with your arms out in front while keeping your feet flat on the floor.
3. Lean back at about 45 degrees, raise your arms above your head and hold for 10 seconds, remembering to keep your feet flat. (This is one rep.)
4. Complete 10 reps, holding each for 10 seconds.

 
#5: The Plank
1. Lie face down on the floor resting on the forearms with your palms flat then rise up onto the toes and rest on the elbows.
2. Keep your body in a straight line. Tilting your pelvis and contracting your abs will help to keep the spine in a neutral position.
3. Advanced: raise one leg and one arm at the same time and repeat as above.
4. Hold for 30 seconds and rest for 10. Repeat for 3-5 sets.

Read More

AFL STAR CHRIS TARRANT'S BICEP WORKOUT

With the footy season in full swing, long-time Goodlife member, AFL superstar and founder of Inca Organics Chris Tarrant (aka 'The Arms') reveals his favourite upper-body workout guaranteed to get your biceps burning.
Click on the workout image below and save it to your phone, round up some dumbbells or a barbell and get curling!

Read More

HUMANS OF GOODLIFE: HAYLEY WESTON

Name: Hayley Weston
Age: 34
Club: Goodlife Morningside
When I joined Goodlife Wintergarden in 2009, I desperately needed to lose weight. However, at the time, I think I lacked commitment. I didn't realise just how much hard work was involved in losing that amount of weight and 12 months later, I put it in the too hard basket and cancelled my membership.
I signed up again in 2011, weighing in at 150kg. This time I was in the right head space and focused on putting my plans into actions. I was determined to lose weight and saw it as a journey that I knew was worth travelling.
My biggest fear was that I would be judged for my weight, but that was soon put to rest. I'd never felt more at home, or more welcomed than when I stepped into the gym for the second time.

Like any health and fitness journey, I've certainly had some personal ups and downs. After completing four 12 Week Challenges, and thanks to the support and guidance of my trainer Richelle, I got down to 80kg - shedding almost half my original body weight. However, after ongoing illness and a struggle with depression in 2014, I gained some of that weight back. Even through those struggles, the friendliness of the people at Goodlife always made me feel better, and it showed me that there was light at the end of the tunnel.
I have found when I am having a bad day, a trip to the gym always makes me feel better. My friends and colleagues have commented, too, that they know when I have trained that day because I am more relaxed and much happier.

Currently, I am on my sixth challenge and have so far lost 7kg in the first five weeks. I love seeing my fitness improve and being able to do things I never thought possible. My social circle has changed and I surround myself with people with similar interests and goals, including my best friend who I met during one of the challenges.

Knowing I am becoming a better version of me and putting my health first is a really motivating factor, but I also hope that I am an inspiration for others. To know someone made a change because of me makes me more determined. I feel like I owe it to them to keep going because I've experienced the same struggles as they have. 

Read More

Can You Build Up Your Body in 1 Month?

Build your body by incorporating resistance training, aerobics and a healthful eating plan. If you want to increase your muscle mass, use heavy enough weights so you can lift for only six to 12 repetitions per set. If you want to tone up, use lighter weights so you can complete 15 to 20 reps per set. Gradually increase the weights you are using as you get stronger to continue to build your body, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.

Weight Training

Step 1

Complete a chest and biceps workout on Monday mornings. Pair chest and biceps exercises, including flat barbell bench presses with EZ bar curls, flat dumbbell flyes with concentration curls and incline barbell presses with hammer dumbbell curls. Do four sets per exercise.

Step 2

Perform a workout for your back and triceps on Wednesdays. Pair back and triceps exercises, including lateral pull-downs with two-arm dumbbell triceps extensions, one-arm dumbbell rows with one-arm rope press-downs and seated cable rows with triceps push-ups. Complete four sets per exercise.

Step 3

Do a leg, shoulder and abdominal routine on Fridays. Pair squats with barbell shoulder presses, stationary barbell lunges with dumbbell lateral raises, leg curls with bicycle crunches, one-legged dead lifts with dumbbell side bends and leg extensions with bent over dumbbell flyes. Do four sets per exercise.

Cardio

Step 1

Complete a 60-minute treadmill workout on Tuesdays such as running for three minutes and walking for one minute, or take an aerobics class.

Step 2

Do an interval workout on Thursdays. Sprint for 30 seconds, then walk for 90 seconds, totaling 30 minutes, on a treadmill to burn a significant number of calories even after your session.

Step 3

Perform a moderate-intensity run outside for 30 to 45 minutes on Fridays.

Meals

Step 1

Eat plenty of calories to fuel your exercise. Consume 41 calories per kilogram of body weight if you are a man, or consume 37 calories per kilogram of body weight if you are a woman, according to the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Step 2

Consume 1.5 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight between all of your meals to enhance protein and muscle building.

Step 3

Drink a protein and carbohydrate shake immediately after your exercise sessions. Blend one cup of semi-frozen skim milk, ½ cup of ice water, one scoop of whey protein, one scoop of casein protein, ½ a frozen banana and 3 ounces of a frozen orange.

Read More

10 Simple Exercises That Will Strengthen

That was the question on researchers' minds as they learned more about how the science behind this human virtue. Through many tests, they had discovered that willpower is like a muscle - it gets tired from overuse and requires food to replenish.
So, if it does act like a muscle, can it also be strengthened?
After several studies, we have our answer! With the right practice, willpower can be strengthened just like any other muscle in the body.
Fair warning: like all practice, these workouts can be challenging. After all, you will be exerting your willpower in the same way that you would exert your legs on a run. But they are scientifically proven to get you results. 
So although it will be difficult in the short-term, eventually it will be easier to say no to temptations, make it to the gym and stick with your long-term goals!

1.    10 MINUTES OF MEDITATION

Meditation will give you the fastest results of all of the willpower workouts listed. By meditating you are training the brain to focus and resist the urge to wander. Research shows that after just 2-3 days of practicing meditation for 10 minutes, your brain will be able to focus better, you will have more energy, and you will be less stressed. [1]
To get started with 10 minutes of meditation, check out this article.  It will provide you with all of the benefits of mediation as well as simple exercise designed specifically for beginners.

2.    WORK ON YOUR POSTURE

When testing if willpower could be strengthened, researchers asked a group of participants to work on their posture for a 2-week period. Every time they caught themselves slouching, they were to correct themselves by sitting up straight. This simple practice vastly improved their perseverance on various willpower tests like this one. [2]
To get started, simply correct your posture every time you catch yourself slouching at work or at home. It sounds extremely simple, but it takes willpower to sit up straight. Every time you do, you’re essentially doing “one rep” with your willpower muscle.

3.    KEEP A FOOD DIARY 

The same study also found that those who kept a food diary improved their willpower. Most of us don’t log all of the food we eat, so it takes willpower to keep track of it all. Any similar logging of information will also work, but I recommend a food diary because of all of its benefits listed here. [2]
To get started, I recommend downloading the MyFitnessPal App. It’s a simple food diary app that has a huge database of foods and nutrition information. Just keep the diary for 2 weeks, and it will increase your ability to resist temptations!

4.    USE YOUR OPPOSITE HAND 

Using the same methodology as with posture, researchers conducted further studies that tested other corrective actions. One that worked particularly well was to use your opposite hand. Your brain is wired to use your dominant hand, so it takes willpower to use the opposite. [3]
To get started, select a chunk of the day to use your opposite hand. It doesn’t need to be any more than an hour in order to get results. And from personal experience, if you aim for more than an hour, you will unnecessarily tire out your willpower muscle.

5.    CORRECT YOUR SPEECH

Another test that the researchers conducted was to change subjects’ natural speech. This includes resisting the urge to use swear words, or to say “hello” instead of “hey”. Again, it takes willpower to consciously go against your instincts. It doesn’t matter how you correct your speech, as long as you change your natural speech habits. [3]
To get started, select a chunk of the day to practice and choose the words you will change. Personally, I tried not using contractions (using “do not” instead of “don’t”, etc.) during work hours and it worked very well. Like all exercises listed above, doing this for just 2 weeks can vastly improve your willpower!

6. CREATE AND MEET SELF-IMPOSED DEADLINES 

Anyone who remembers their college days, remembers what it was like cramming for a test or doing a last minute paper. Your willpower gets taxed as you try to tune out distractions and become hyper-productive. Using this same principle, researchers found that by creating self-imposed deadlines you can work your willpower in the same way.
To get started, simply pick a task on your to-do list that you may have been putting off. Set a deadline for accomplishing it, and make sure you adhere to it. The participants who followed this process for 2 weeks not only got their old to-dos done, but also improved their diets, exercised more, and cut back on cigarettes and alcohol. [3] 

7. KEEP TRACK OF YOUR SPENDING

In the same way most of us don’t track the food that we eat, many of us don’t track our spending either. Even if you don’t cut back on spending – which would also be a willpower workout – researchers found that simply keeping track of where your money went will improve your willpower. [4] 
To get stated, try using a budgeting app like Mint. Mint can connect to your bank account, credit cards, etc. and automatically track your purchases. By simply reviewing this on a regular basis, you will see increases in your focus and ability to resist unrelated temptations like sweets.

8. SQUEEZE A HANDGRIP

For the truly determined who want to increase their perseverance, you can squeeze a handgrip until exhaustion. If you’ve ever squeezed one before, you know that it gives you a deep forearm burn. So it takes willpower to keep squeezing. [5]

To get started, simply get a handgrip like this one, and squeeze it with each hand until you’re exhausted. Willing yourself to continue squeezing even when it hurts will increase your perseverance on other challenging tasks.

9. CARRY AROUND SOMETHING TEMPTING

Again, for the truly determined out there, you can increase your ability to say "no" by carrying around something tempting with you all day. Researchers tried this with participants by teaching them how to resist cravings, then giving them a Hershey’s Kiss to carry around with them. Those who resisted the Kiss were much more capable of resisting other temptations in their lives as well! [6]

To get started, first learn how to resist a craving. This will be hard, so your will want to know how to deal with the craving. Then carry something small but tempting with you. It doesn’t need to be for an entire day, but for long enough that you will be truly tempted. By consistently saying "no", you will increase your ability to resist other temptations and ignore distractions!

10. BE MORE CONSCIOUS OF YOUR AUTOMATIC DECISIONS

A final exercise is to simply be more mindful of your decisions throughout the day. We are often so lost in thought, that our actions become automatic. Taking time to think about why you are making your daily decisions will increase your ability to focus and resist temptations. [3]
To get started, try to catch yourself in an automatic behavior and ask yourself why you are doing it. This may be questioning why you are eating cereal instead of eggs for breakfast, or it may be questioning why exactly you put 2 sugars in your coffee. Any way you can think consciously about a typical automatic behavior will increase your focus and self-control.

CONCLUSION

Like all muscles in the body, willpower can be strengthened with the right practice. Above you will find 10 practical and effective ways to strengthen your self-control, focus and perseverance. Do not try to do all 10 at once.
Think about training your willpower muscle like training for a marathon. Your first training run wouldn’t be the full 26 miles or even close to that. You would start small and gradually build up as your muscles got stronger. So choose just 1 of these workouts to add to your daily routine.
Determine which workout seems practical and effective for the goal you want to achieve and get to work. By simply following the steps laid out, you will be well on your way to becoming more mentally strong!

Read More

Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity

You know exercise is good for you, but do you know how good? From boosting your mood to improving your sex life, find out how exercise can improve your life.

Want to feel better, have more energy and perhaps even live longer? Look no further than exercise. The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore. And the benefits of exercise are yours for the taking, regardless of your age, sex or physical ability. Need more convincing to exercise? Check out these seven ways exercise can improve your life.

No. 1: Exercise controls weight

Exercise can help prevent excess weight gain or help maintain weight loss. When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn. You don't need to set aside large chunks of time for exercise to reap weight-loss benefits. If you can't do an actual workout, get more active throughout the day in simple ways — by taking the stairs instead of the elevator or revving up your household chores.

No. 2: Exercise combats health conditions and diseases

Worried about heart disease? Hoping to prevent high blood pressure? No matter what your current weight, being active boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol and decreases unhealthy triglycerides. This one-two punch keeps your blood flowing smoothly, which decreases your risk of cardiovascular diseases. In fact, regular physical activity can help you prevent or manage a wide range of health problems and concerns, including stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, depression, certain types of cancer, arthritis and falls.

No. 3: Exercise improves mood

Need an emotional lift? Or need to blow off some steam after a stressful day? A workout at the gym or a brisk 30-minute walk can help. Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed. You may also feel better about your appearance and yourself when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem.

No. 4: Exercise boosts energy

Winded by grocery shopping or household chores? Regular physical activity can improve your muscle strength and boost your endurance. Exercise and physical activity deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and help your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. And when your heart and lungs work more efficiently, you have more energy to go about your daily chores.

No. 5: Exercise promotes better sleep

Struggling to fall asleep? Or to stay asleep? Regular physical activity can help you fall asleep faster and deepen your sleep. Just don't exercise too close to bedtime, or you may be too energized to fall asleep.

No. 6: Exercise puts the spark back into your sex life

Do you feel too tired or too out of shape to enjoy physical intimacy? Regular physical activity can leave you feeling energized and looking better, which may have a positive effect on your sex life. But there's more to it than that. Regular physical activity can lead to enhanced arousal for women. And men who exercise regularly are less likely to have problems with erectile dysfunction than are men who don't exercise.

No. 7: Exercise can be fun

Exercise and physical activity can be a fun way to spend some time. It gives you a chance to unwind, enjoy the outdoors or simply engage in activities that make you happy. Physical activity can also help you connect with family or friends in a fun social setting. So, take a dance class, hit the hiking trails or join a soccer team. Find a physical activity you enjoy, and just do it. If you get bored, try something new.

The bottom line on exercise

Exercise and physical activity are a great way to feel better, gain health benefits and have fun. As a general goal, aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day. If you want to lose weight or meet specific fitness goals, you may need to exercise more. Remember to check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program, especially if you haven't exercised for a long time, have chronic health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes or arthritis, or you have any concerns.

Read More

No time to hit the gym? No worries. Check out these 4 killer at-home workouts for every fitness level!

Have you set a resolution to get into the best shape of your life, but can't afford a gym membership, or you simply shy away from a room packed full of treadmills, ellipticals, and free weights? Don't worry—not going to a gym doesn't spell disaster. You can still achieve your goals from the comfort of your own home.
The nice thing about home workouts is that they're high on the convenience factor. Whether you have kids and don't want to hire a sitter, or your schedule is just too hectic and that drive time to and from the gym isn't possible, a home workout solves most dilemmas. Not to mention, it eliminates any excuse for not working out.

Go Big, Stay Home

People often believe that home workouts are only for those who are just starting out, but that's not true.
Here are three at-home workouts designed by IFFB figure pro Jessie Hilgenberg and fitness and bikini model Lais DeLeon. They're broken down by experience level, so whether you're green to weightlifting or consider yourself a seasoned vet, you can get great results—no matter how busy your life.
These workouts require no more than a resistance band, a set of dumbbells, and the occasional pull-up bar. Pressed for time? No problem. They can be done in 30 minutes or less. Just remember to stay accountable.

Don't fall into the trap of monotony. Instead, focus on introducing bands, dumbbells, and body-training splits into your workout.

Because motivation can tend to wane when you're at home and could easily browse the Internet or channel surf, it's important to schedule your home workouts just as you would any other workout session. Make an appointment with yourself—preferably at the same time each day or week to get in the groove and maintain accountability. Once you surpass the three-week hump, you won't even consider skipping your sweat session.
Also remember to add variety to your workout by changing up your exercises or rep schemes. A limited array of equipment might mean you have fewer exercises to choose from, but it doesn't mean you have to do the same workout day in and day out.
Don't fall into the trap of monotony. Instead, focus on introducing bands, dumbbells, and body-training splits into your workout. Try an upper/lower-body plan for a few weeks, then feel free to change to a full-body plan to help shock the muscles and keep them responding. The more variety you can include as you progress, the better.
Be sure to perform a light warm-up before each workout and finish off with some stretching at the end. Don't skip this. What you do today to help increase your flexibly will help improve your performance for tomorrow's workout session!

1

Beginner At-Home Workout Program

During the initial stages of a beginner workout, focus on getting form down pat. Now is not the time to lift very heavy; it's the time to perfect your exercise execution.
"Keep the weight in your heels during the exercises for the leg and back," advises Hilgenberg. "This will help target your glutes and hamstrings during the leg exercises and keep your posture and form correct."
Jessie also recommends that you alternate between having your toes pointed out, in, and straight ahead during calf exercises. This will help to stress the calves from different angles, sparking greater progress.

Plie Dumbbell Squat

When it comes to training your upper body, form is still essential. "During your biceps curl exercises, keep your upper arms directly by the sides of your torso without squeezing them inward," Jessie says. "This will keep your elbows stable during the exercise."
This program includes three workouts per week, so take at least one day of rest between sessions!

Read More