Personal Training Blog With My RSS Feed
Thursday, October 12th, 2006Just though I'd let you know that I've set up another Blog that will eventually have feeds coming from a number of sites.
You can see it here: Personal Training Central Coast
Ray
Archive for October, 2006
Biggest Loser Comp #3
Wednesday, October 11th, 2006Hi guys,
The teams are now set for our the FOH Biggest Loser Competition #3!
Here they are.....(drum roll).....
Red Team
| Michael_ |
| Loosinweight |
| Felicity |
| Capless |
| Paramedic_Student |
| NicoleF |
| Cowgirl |
| JDC |
| RubyFly |
| Pearshaped |
| Shidesha |
| LollyLorna |
Blue Team
| AussieJane |
| ArgaKant |
| TaintedFreedom |
| Littletoloose |
| Jody72 |
| Vanessa |
| MerchantofPanic |
| Tamayles |
| Megan_Ward |
| Coops |
| RhemaAngel |
| Nikki |
Good luck to all!
Ray
Vegetarianism: Everything You Need To Know
Wednesday, October 11th, 2006MissMel06 has kindly written us an article explaining the ins and outs of Vegetarianism:
Vegetarians come in all forms, shapes and sizes. Our reasons are all very different choosing this lifestyle, as you would find by asking various vegetarians.
But the one thing to consider is just because you are vegetarian; it does not mean that you eat healthy!
What is a vegetarian?
There are many types of vegetarians – pesco/semi vegetarian, lacto, lacto ovo, ovo, vegan, fruitarian and macrobiotic.
A vegetarian diet basically means the removal of all or some animal products.
Types | Explanation |
Semi Vegetarian | Includes some but not all groups of animal derived products eg. Meat, fish, chicken/ duck, seafood, eggs, milk or milk bi-products |
Pesco-Vegetarian | Includes milk and milk bi-products, seafood and eggs |
Lacto-ovo Vegetarian | Includes milk and milk bi-products and eggs |
Ovo-vegetarian | Includes eggs only |
Vegan | Excludes all animal products, and foods that include animal bi-products such as wine and honey |
Fruitarian | Eats only fruits, nuts, honey and olive oil |
Why do people choose vegetarianism?
Not one person is the same when it comes to being vegetarian. Ask various people and I'm sure you'll get very different responses. The most popular are due to ethical reasons such as not wanting to hurt another soul, whilst some change due to health reasons (myself included), and others just don't like the taste.
Benefits
Some vegetarians have been found to live a lot longer by eating unprocessed foods and choosing not to eat meat.
Some other health benefits include:
- Reduced heart risk
- Lower incident of death from Type 2 diabetes
- Reduced Obesity
- Lower BMI
- Reduced constipation
Risks
There are no real major risks in becoming vegetarian as long as you eat healthy and eat a variety of foods.
If not enough iron is taken through your diet, you could become anaemic. Some symptoms include dizziness, light headedness, shortness of breath, lack of endurance, irritability headaches or heart palpitations. A blood test is required to diagnose whether your iron is low and you may be given some iron tablets to resolve the issue. Otherwise, a food list has been started in our forums to assist (http://free-online-health.com/forums/forums/thread/28330.aspx).
Occasionally some vegetarians can become low in Vitamin B12. This can easily be fixed by having a daily multivitamin. All vegetarians are usually recommended to take one of these anyway to ensure you get all the daily nutrients required.
Most vegetarians do not have issues with eating enough protein due to the amount of tofu, meat substitutes and dairy we eat. If you do not eat meat substitutes or do not have dairy, you should consider taking a protein supplement.
What to look out for?
There are so many products that contain meat bi-products and the stricter you become, the more you need to check the back of the ingredients. Some companies even will place a disclaimer saying that their product was packed on the same packaging line as crustaceans.
A lot of products contain gelatine – a thickener - which is made from animal cartilage. This can be found in yoghurt, sour cream, mousse, ice cream, soft lollies or jubes, and chocolate bars.
Animal oils can be used in your baked goods, such as bread, cake etc.
Omega 3 can mean tuna oil added to your food. Some breads and margarines can use this.
Rennet can be found in cheeses and is in fact the stomach acid of a cow.
A great list to get you started can be found at the Vegetarian Network Victoria here (http://www.vnv.org.au/ProductsToAvoid.htm), here (http://www.vnv.org.au/AnimalProducts.htm) and here (http://www.vnv.org.au/FoodAdditives.htm)
It's too hard to become vegetarian?
No it's not! There are so many different products on the market, so many restaurants that cook vegetarian and so many recipe books out there that it's really simple to be vegetarian. There is a great deal of variety, whatever I choose to eat.
Even, if you think you will miss the taste of meat or miss barbecues, there are a few companies out there providing meat substitutes that taste like the real deal but much healthier for you and contain just as much protein as a piece of steak.
Some products are schnitzels, hot dogs, sausages, beef chunks, chicken pieces or drumsticks.
Even going overseas is much easier with a site called Happy Cow (http://www.happycow.net/), a review of all vegetarian or vegetarian friendly restaurants around the world. I used them in Madrid, Prague and Paris to find some great restaurants.
Further reading
The Vegetarian Sports Nutrition Guide – Peak Perfomance, Lisa Dorfman
Related Links
www.vrg.org/ Vegetarian Resource Group
www.vegsoc.org/ Vegetarian Society
www.vnv.org.au/ Vegetarian Network Victoria
http://www.happycow.net/ Vegetarian Friendly Restaurants
Food Places I frequent
Enlightened Cuisine Vegetarian Restaurant 113 Queensbridge St, Southbank (VIC 3006)
Fo Guang Yuan 141 Queen Street (VIC 3000)
Soulmama Global Vegetarian Cafe 10-12 Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda Sea Baths (Metropolitan Melbourne) (VIC 3182)
White Lotus Vegetarian Restaurant 185 Victoria Street ( West Melbourne) (VIC 3003)
Ganesh Coffee House 2/96 The Parade (VIC 3226)
Vegetarian Shop
Vincent Vegetarian Food 350 Barkly St (Metropolitan Melbourne) (VIC 3011)
MissMel06 is a forum moderator at Free Online Health. You can also check out her site at: http://www.melbedggood.com
Guitar Lessons - Thornleigh
Saturday, October 7th, 2006Just thought I let you all know about my guitar teacher, John Macpherson-Allan, who gives tuition in the Thornleigh/ Hornsby/ Pennant Hills area. This bloke is a phenominal instructor and had me playing modern songs right from the first lesson. He's a graduate from the Conservatorium and you've just got to hear him play to believe it. He does do the modern stuff but his strength is in Classical and Jazz.
Anyway, if you live in the area and want to learn definitely go and see this bloke!
His web site is here: Thornleigh Guitar Academy
or call him on: 9945 0018
Complete Your Own Fitness Assessment At Home!
Tuesday, October 3rd, 2006
To get anywhere, you need to know where you’re starting from and when it comes to weight loss that means giving yourself a basic fitness assessment.
This can be depressing for most people because the results confirm what they have been avoiding: They’re overweight, unfit, and at high risk of heart disease!
But these people a looking at it all wrong. Don’t get depressed, get focused!
This could be one of the biggest turning points in your life. You can get fitter, you can rid yourself of fat, and you can reduce your risk of heart disease. And it doesn’t take much work.
Just commitment!
Ok. Let’s get into the Fitness Assessment. You will need a pen and some paper to write down your measurements, and a cloth measuring tape (like the ones used for sewing).
Height
Process:
Weight
This is the one everyone hates. Too much emphasis is placed on weight and it isn't an accurate measure of how much excess fat you carry. You can burn 10kg of fat but the scales only show you as 5kg lighter. It happens all the time. When you haven’t exercised much and you start a regular program, it can be quite easy to put on a bit of muscle. So remember, your weight is only a measure of gravity (and gravity sucks!).
You should only weigh yourself every couple of weeks. You can measure your progress more accurately with the measuring tape.
Process:
Resting Heart Rate
This is the number of times that your heart beats, per minute, when totally rested. It’s best to measure this when you first wake up.
Process:
If your heart is healthy, it will be below 80 beats per minute. As you get fitter, your resting heart rate drops, which means that your heart doesn’t have to work as hard. Your goal should be to reach 50-60 beats.
Girth Measurements
Measure your waist, stomach, and hips. Keep the tape measure firm. This is what you will measure your improvements against.
The measuring points can be found at these locations:
Body Mass Index (BMI)
Body Mass Index basically measures your level of fatness (I know, I just made that word up!).
It’s calculated using the formula: BMI = ( Weight in Kilograms / ( Height in Meters ) x ( Height in Meters ) ).
So if your height is 1.73 meters (173cm) and your weight is 90 kilograms, you would start by multiplying 1.73 * 1.73. This equals 2.99. Next you would divide that number into your weight (90).
Therefore, the formula would look like: 90 divided by 2.99 = 30.1!
If you don’t use the metric system, use this formula: BMI = ( Weight in Pounds / ( Height in inches ) x ( Height in inches ) ) x 703
Although a small amount of excess body fat (26-27) is not likely to be very harmful to the health of most people, having a BMI above 30 (obese) significantly increases the risks of a wide range of diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, osteoarthritis, and gall bladder disease. This is especially true for people who have excess fat in the abdominal area.
Waist-to-Hip Ratio
This measures your risk of heart attack. It does this by assessing body fat distribution. The closer the score is to 1.00, the higher the risk of heart disease. A good score is <0.88.
It can be measured by dividing your waist measurement (cm), by your hip measurement (cm)
Cardiovascular Fitness Test
The Timed Run/Walk
This test is used to compare Resting Heart Rates, Working Heart Rates, Recovery Heart Rates, and time taken to complete the set distance. As your aerobic fitness improves there will be a reduction in each of these measures.
Important Safety Issues
Process:
Find a course that cannot be altered (so that the distance won't be different when you re-test)
eg. -the fence at a park or oval.
-between two houses or fixed points (eg. telegraph poles)
For the best results, the test should be at least 8-15 minutes in duration. This may mean that you must walk the whole way to begin with in order to finish.
You need to measure:
Push Up Test
Complete as many full push ups as possible.
Process:
Abdominal Test
Complete as many full crunches in 20sec as possible.
Process:
This can be depressing for most people because the results confirm what they have been avoiding: They’re overweight, unfit, and at high risk of heart disease!
But these people a looking at it all wrong. Don’t get depressed, get focused!
This could be one of the biggest turning points in your life. You can get fitter, you can rid yourself of fat, and you can reduce your risk of heart disease. And it doesn’t take much work.
Just commitment!
Ok. Let’s get into the Fitness Assessment. You will need a pen and some paper to write down your measurements, and a cloth measuring tape (like the ones used for sewing).
Height
Process:
- Take shoes and socks off.
- Stand against wall with feet together.
- Pull shoulders back and look straight ahead.
- Place a book on top of your head (make sure that it touches the wall and is level).
- Measure from bottom of book to floor.
Weight
This is the one everyone hates. Too much emphasis is placed on weight and it isn't an accurate measure of how much excess fat you carry. You can burn 10kg of fat but the scales only show you as 5kg lighter. It happens all the time. When you haven’t exercised much and you start a regular program, it can be quite easy to put on a bit of muscle. So remember, your weight is only a measure of gravity (and gravity sucks!).
You should only weigh yourself every couple of weeks. You can measure your progress more accurately with the measuring tape.
Process:
- Take shoes and socks off.
- Stand on the scales with feet evenly spaced and weight evenly distributed over both feet.
Resting Heart Rate
This is the number of times that your heart beats, per minute, when totally rested. It’s best to measure this when you first wake up.
Process:
- Sit on a chair and use the first two fingers on your left hand to feel for your pulse on your right wrist. Your palm should be turned up, and you will feel it on the right side of the wrist.
- Count how many beats you have in 60 seconds.
If your heart is healthy, it will be below 80 beats per minute. As you get fitter, your resting heart rate drops, which means that your heart doesn’t have to work as hard. Your goal should be to reach 50-60 beats.
Girth Measurements
Measure your waist, stomach, and hips. Keep the tape measure firm. This is what you will measure your improvements against.
The measuring points can be found at these locations:
- Waist: This is the smallest place between your hips and your chest
- Stomach: In line with your navel.
- Hips: This is the biggest measurement at the pelvis.
Body Mass Index (BMI)
Body Mass Index basically measures your level of fatness (I know, I just made that word up!).
It’s calculated using the formula: BMI = ( Weight in Kilograms / ( Height in Meters ) x ( Height in Meters ) ).
So if your height is 1.73 meters (173cm) and your weight is 90 kilograms, you would start by multiplying 1.73 * 1.73. This equals 2.99. Next you would divide that number into your weight (90).
Therefore, the formula would look like: 90 divided by 2.99 = 30.1!
If you don’t use the metric system, use this formula: BMI = ( Weight in Pounds / ( Height in inches ) x ( Height in inches ) ) x 703
Although a small amount of excess body fat (26-27) is not likely to be very harmful to the health of most people, having a BMI above 30 (obese) significantly increases the risks of a wide range of diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, stroke, osteoarthritis, and gall bladder disease. This is especially true for people who have excess fat in the abdominal area.
Waist-to-Hip Ratio
This measures your risk of heart attack. It does this by assessing body fat distribution. The closer the score is to 1.00, the higher the risk of heart disease. A good score is <0.88.
It can be measured by dividing your waist measurement (cm), by your hip measurement (cm)
Cardiovascular Fitness Test
The Timed Run/Walk
This test is used to compare Resting Heart Rates, Working Heart Rates, Recovery Heart Rates, and time taken to complete the set distance. As your aerobic fitness improves there will be a reduction in each of these measures.
Important Safety Issues
- Obtain a health check from your doctor before commencing the test.
- Always warm up and stretch before commencing.
- You should not sit down immediately after finishing. Walk around and give your heart rate time to drop down to 120bpm.
Process:
Find a course that cannot be altered (so that the distance won't be different when you re-test)
eg. -the fence at a park or oval.
-between two houses or fixed points (eg. telegraph poles)
For the best results, the test should be at least 8-15 minutes in duration. This may mean that you must walk the whole way to begin with in order to finish.
You need to measure:
- Resting Heart Rate- before warm up.
- Working Heart Rate- at regular intervals during test (eg. every km, every 2-3min, each time you pass a certain point). Ask a friend to write them down for you.
- Recovery Heart Rate- at the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd minute after finishing (measured whilst moving to cool down).
- Time taken to complete- measure with a stop watch. For better analysis, take times at regular intervals (eg. every km, each time you pass a certain point).
Push Up Test
Complete as many full push ups as possible.
Process:
- Feet together, body straight, and hands under shoulders.
- Lower down until chest is within 5cm of the floor then push up.
Abdominal Test
Complete as many full crunches in 20sec as possible.
Process:
- Lie on the floor with feet on a chair, knees bent at 90 degrees.
- Fold the arms across chest with elbows pointing forward.
- Raise the shoulders off the ground until elbows touch thighs.
- The elbows must touch the thighs and the shoulders must return to a flat position on the floor for the crunch to be counted.
Age <29 30-39 40-59
Good >17 >15 >13
OK 12-17 11-15 10-13
Poor <12 <11 <10
For more info, visit our Biggest Loser Forum or Ray's Personal Training website