GETTING FIT AND LOVING IT

Let's Get Fit.  I am, are you? 

Hopefully my little story this week relating to the start of my training will inspire you and hopefully, you may even think about some serious exercising yourself.  Lana are you reading this!!!

 ‘I feel good’, as the song goes!  And I am proud to say I have been every day this week and even had a very concentrated slog with Trent, my personal trainer today.  Also last night Mr G and I went to the body combat class and we left that room smiling and excited as it reminded us so much of how our lives used to be. 

And now we are getting the buzz back, I am excited!!!!

Why or what is the reason that makes me feel so great about attending ‘the sweat house’.

There are many things.  I feel good because I know I am now in control of my fitness.  I am enjoying the spark it gives me.  I like the sweating and the stretching.  I actually enjoy the music (even though in my opinion it is way too loud) and the positive vibe in the aerobic room is electric.

Yes, I enjoy the whole gym experience.  At my age and my level of fitness I am not disgracing myself that is for sure.  As I take a sneaky peep around the room I am certainly not least fit but I am most certainly the oldest, apart from Mr G! 

Mr G's trainer said that he was so impressed that Mr G and I were still going ‘at our ages’.  Humph!!!!  Our ages!  Crikey we are not over the hill just yet! 

Just take a look at this week’s Wise Woman, Janice Lorraine.  Not only is she seriously fit and fabulous at 66 – she is in fact an International Natural Body Building champion.  Her story is fantastic and if she doesn’t inspire you to rise from your chair and ‘get fit’, nothing will.

If you have never been to the gym before and worried about how you’ll feel and whether you will be able to make it through the classes – don’t let your imagining put you off.  Give it a go.   You will find most gyms will give you a trial week at no cost or be brave and just ask them for a free week just to see if you do enjoy the experience.  Yes you will, you will!!! 

Don’t be embarrassed.  Everyone is there to improve themselves.  Even the big guy on the weights machine was probably a scrawny weakling before he started so he’s not thinking about anything except himself!  

Every single person there is concerned about achieving their own goals.  But even if they were mentally criticizing you, you can’t possibly be affected by it so don’t let that notion bug you. 

Don’t just get all ‘I can’t be bothered’ just because I’m older either;  being older should be the very reason to get out there to stave off the ageing process.

I was speaking to a friend the other day who had just signed up to an all women's gym and had been attending every morning before work.  She was as revved up and excited too.  She asked me the question the gym asked her,  'What do you want to get out of being at the gym?'

She told me she had said she wanted to lose weight around her middle and that most of her exercises revolved around that wish. 'So what is your goal', she asked.

After a quick think and I said 'I want to be able to cut through the air with vigor. I want to be able to move with bounce.  I know the weight will drop off everywhere, but I want more than that.  I want 'the vibe' that comes with exercising and feeling good about yourself'.

You too can have exactly that when you take up the challenge and commit to a healthier life. 

So armed with some spirit, the objective of helping yourself to live long and well, find yourself a gym or get out there and walk the tread off your shoes. 

Join me in some fitness sizzle on the road to longevity.

Until next time
Gigi

Pat yourselves on the back if you are on track because you should be so excited you are rocketing forward with good health.  It’s that simple. 

Just exercise and the health of your body will look after itself.

I want you to feel good.  Good about everything.  About your body, about life and about what you do! 

When you get control of one thing, everything else falls into place, so an easy way to change how you feel about your life, is to grab exercise by both hands, focus and just DO IT!!! 

Voila, life improves.

If you haven’t started yet after all these weeks of me harping about its incredible benefits, you shouldn’t wait a moment longer.  Every week that goes by is a chance of good health gone begging. 

So get up and get out that door. 

Move that body. 
  

Don’t worry about concentrating on the weight loss at this stage, because it will happen anyway.   The most important thing is about conditioning every part of your body. 

We are talking about your body here. 
Not someone else’s! 
This is you.
 
Yes, you are in charge of it and if it is a certain way, you are responsible. 

The one great thing to enhance your life is to move that body of yours.
 

Make a start.  Enjoy the fresh air.  Enjoy the difference that exercise makes you feel. 

You will be jumping out of your skin with energy and vitality before you know it, but you HAVE to start.  So, no excuse, begin!!!!

For those of you who have started, bravo.  You are going to be feeling the benefits already.  Exciting isn’t it.  You are making enormous steps towards a longer healthier life so be glad you are on the path to be ‘the best you can be’.

Work on your body so you can live as long as you can in the healthiest way and with determination it will happen.

Come on ladies, its fun, it’s worthwhile and you will gain all round.

Keep moving until week

Gigi

Can exercise make us happy?

CAN EXERCISE MAKE US HAPPY?

You bet your life it can.

Apart from the instant:
 “I am looking better,
I am feeling better and
I will live longer” benefits, something else happens.

Whilst we exercise there are chemicals working away that cause us to have a feeling of well being.

To name a few I have read that Serotonin regulates our mood, appetite and libido and exercise will help our brains use serotonin more efficiently to help maintain that ‘happy feeling’ and/or by boosting our mood.  It helps to calm and relieve depression.

And there is also evidence that Dopamine makes us more talkative and excitable.   And if we want the gold rewards of Endorphins, then we will have to knuckle down and do some rigorous exercise. 

Exercise can and will alter natural chemicals in our bodies that will help us feel happy without even us even trying.

So while our chemicals are doing their thing, our mind is also at work.  It likes it when we exercise.  Suddenly we feel good about ourselves, worthy and energised. 

SO
 

IF WE ARE NOT EXERCISING

WHY ARE WE ARE NOT EXERCISING.

Ladies, we don’t have an excuse.  

When we give our body what it needs it flourishes and we reap all the rewards.

Now I like that!

Have a good work out now and be happy!

Cheers

Gigi

Can exercise make us happy?

CAN EXERCISE MAKE US HAPPY?

You bet your life it can.

Apart from the instant:
 “I am looking better,
I am feeling better and
I will live longer” benefits, something else happens.

Whilst we exercise there are chemicals working away that cause us to have a feeling of well being.

To name a few I have read that Serotonin regulates our mood, appetite and libido and exercise will help our brains use serotonin more efficiently to help maintain that ‘happy feeling’ and/or by boosting our mood.  It helps to calm and relieve depression.

And there is also evidence that Dopamine makes us more talkative and excitable.   And if we want the gold rewards of Endorphins, then we will have to knuckle down and do some rigorous exercise. 

Exercise can and will alter natural chemicals in our bodies that will help us feel happy without even us even trying.

So while our chemicals are doing their thing, our mind is also at work.  It likes it when we exercise.  Suddenly we feel good about ourselves, worthy and energised. 

SO
 

IF WE ARE NOT EXERCISING

WHY ARE WE ARE NOT EXERCISING.

Ladies, we don’t have an excuse.  

When we give our body what it needs it flourishes and we reap all the rewards.

Now I like that!

Have a good work out now, and rake in all the benefits.

Cheers

Gigi

Stretching is such a powerful tool and after we finish exercising we just might forget to do it. 

Well, it takes time and because it is slow and we hold still poses, it might seem like we are wasting our time. 

The thing is you MUST stretch because it:

1. enhances physical fitness

2. enhances ability to learn and perform skilled movements

3. increases mental and physical relaxation

4. enhances development of body awareness

5. reduces risk of injury to joints, muscles, and tendons

6. reduces muscular soreness

7. reduces muscular tension

8. increases suppleness due to stimulation of the production of chemicals which lubricate connective tissues

I found a website that will tell you the stretches that are NOT appropriate.  We might think that any sort of pulling and holding position is the answer, but no, you can make mistakes.

The worst case of shoulder, elbow and wrist injury for me came from doing Yoga of all things. 

During the class we lay on the floor.  We had a judo belt wrapped around one foot and wrist, we put our leg up in the air and stretched down to one side.  My legs are pretty strong, much stronger than my arms so with brute strength I ripped apart every ligament and joint in that wrist, elbow and shoulder. 

Noone said use a stretchy band which may have helped!!  Anyhow I am wary now of any stretches that require dragging on joints using something as momentum such as other people.  

Most stretches can be done gently at first with a second time round of increasing that stretch.  A much better way of easing pressure on your joints.

You will learn yourself which stretches help you the most and which ones are harmful.

But why not  for stretches that are a bit risky. 

Good luck, keep up the exercise AND the stretching, and I’ll see you next week

Gigi

Have you really wondered why you are exercising? 

What do you gain out of it?

I found a nice little health publication that gives you the answers to the 10 reasons for exercising. 

Take a look at the list below. 

1   Exercise boosts brain power.

2   Exercise is 21st century medicine.

3   Age is no barrier.

4   It's an opportunity to be creative.

5   Exercise relieves PMS.

6   Exercise may reduce risk of breast cancer.

7   Fitness is in. The couch potato is out.

9   Worries dissolve while mood rises.

10  Exercise is heart smart

When you go to the article you will also learn what Opah needs to do to keep fit.  Her fitness routine is definitely a hard ask, but she does it.  Sometimes she fails, but she knows with commitment she can pick herself up and charge down the road of control yet again. 

It would be nice if we had complete and absolute control of what we ate and continued persistence with our exercise all the time, but it is the rare person that can maintain this without hiccups. 

But you know, with a conscious effort to keep trying, watching what you put in your mouth and making time for exercise, in the end it just becomes routine. 

And when you see that new you, well you will want to keep focused and it will become much easier.

So check out the article and find out that there are so many fantastic reasons to move that beautiful body of yours.  Honestly, the article will have you hopping.

Up and off ladies, embrace health.

Hi  how is it going out there

I know sometimes it is hard to stay motivated, but you must keep focused and committed.  This week I thought I would put together a list that could help you with your committment.

                       
1.  Regular Time.  Just like you would if you went to a gym.  Set the time and make it happen.

2.  Do something you enjoy?  Walk, run, swim, play golf, play tennis and so many more.  Or do the lot.  If you enjoy what you are doing, you will stay motivated. Simple as that.  Variety could be the key to your success.

                               
3.  Try to do some of your exercise outside.  Fresh air and sun will help your mental outlook for sure.

4.  Mental outlook - be postive, create great images of your self in your mind. Feel excited about your activities and let it become your passion.  Then it will all be easy.

5.  Why not read magazines, check out websites and TV shows.  Thinking about creating a healthy body will rub off.

6. Throw in a heart monitor to give you immediate feedback, work out with a friend, and try to look the part.  If everything points to positivity, well, great results will happen.

7.  Don't give up!

Go to the mirror now,  What do you see?  Is there a face full of enthusiasm staring back.  Is it brimming with life?  This is what you are working towards.  This is what you want to see.  This is your goal.

Come on, it is so important to move that body....so DO IT

Until next week

Gigi

Did you do it?  Did you exercise? 

Get that tape measure out and start to measure.  Go on. 

I have just done mine and I have lost a total of 19 cms in 3 weeks.  Not bad.  I lost the most around my tummy and under my bust.  I am finally seeing result (yeah).   Seeing the results in black and white will have you excited and rearing to go.  Your exercise journey will take on a life of its own.

However, if you did not see any results.  Don't panic.  You are creating a healthy body at this point and the weight loss bonus will come eventually.

When we older, the standard older body shape starts to emerge.  Like or lump it, we thicken up between the boobs and the hips.  It's downright annoying but it has got a lot to do with our hormones.  

I often wonder why God decided that we can be thin and gorgeous during our children bearing years but once that time is out of the way, the grand plan came about to make us 'thicken up" just when we get our lives back!!   What in the dickens did we do to deserve that!! 

And even worrying about what we eat, it just doesn't seem to move that bulge.  You'll most likely loose weight everywhere else first before you loose your tummy.  Darn it!!! 

But there is a way.  Yes, I preach exercise and it is the answer. 

If you were lucky enough to have the time to exercise daily for 1 hour you would be as good as you would like to be.  It is true. 

Not many of us have this luxury, so at least three times will give you the benefits of fitness and health and move you along towards longevity.  And even with that amount you will start to notice the weight gradually disappearing. 

So get up and get out!!!!!

We are under exercised as a nation. 
We look instead of play.  We ride instead of walk. 

Our existence deprives us of the minimum of physical activity essential for healthy living.

So we have to move our bodies, we have to decide that we want a good healthy body and we have to do something about it. 

So off you go?  The next weigh-in is really going to count.  Think about what you are eating and enjoy being physical

Until next week

Gigi