Should Women Be Cold Plunging?

30 May 202429 May 2024 by webadmin

Cold plunging seems to be the latest craze at the moment but should women really be jumping in an icy cold bath? Or should we be doing it with the same intensity as the men?

It is a fantastic method for many many things, whether it’s fat loss, whether it’s reducing inflammation, whether it’s recovery from training, boosting your dopamine and boosting your energy for the day. It is absolutely fantastic. I love cold plunging. I really do like it, but I don’t think it’s a modality that you should do every single day, especially as a woman in her cyclical years and it’s not for everybody.

It’s like anything. Every single day you should tune into your body and ask your body what it needs.

Does it need a cold plunge?
Does it need to reduce the flame?
Does it need to reduce the heat or inflammation in the body?

Is my body too stressed? Because if your body is in a highly, highly stressed state, you should not… be putting it into those intense stressful methods. The same as I wouldn’t recommend somebody to train intense if they are in a highly stressed state.

Cold plunging is a stress on the system…..

…and the whole idea is you’re putting your body into that ice water and you’re creating a stress and you’re teaching your body to handle stress and to get through stress and to breathe amongst many other things mentioned above that it also does.

If you’re in a highly stressed state it can actually be more detrimental for you to do that. Now women run on an infradium rhythm not a circadian, so our body is different at different parts of our cycle. Marginally different.

When we are in the luteal phase and our estrogen drops and our progesterone is higher than estrogen we can become inflamed much more easily which kind of says, should I do cold plunging at this time?

Also the body is hotter at that time, so it might not need to be as cold for you to get a result in that time and our body doesn’t like stress in the luteal phase so should we really be cold plunging in that luteal phase?

I don’t know….. I think it’s really important for you to actually just tune into your own body and ask your body what it needs. That’s what I do, I love a cold plunge I also love a cold shower but if I get in the shower and I tune into my body and know that my body doesn’t need that that day or my body is in too much of a stressed state then I won’t have a cold shower that day.

Getting up at 5am to test your body by jumping into a cold plunge maybe great for men, not so much for women..

Women need more sleep than men for one, sometimes up to 10 hours in that luteal phase! So that tells us that in that phase, sticking to a dogmatic approach of everyday lets get up at the same time and putting our bodies through stress isn’t actually ideal.

There was also a study done where they tested women compared to men and women don’t need the water as cold. For women to get a response, we can have the water at about 15 degrees.

Now that doesn’t mean you have to have an icy bath. You could get that from a cold shower. If you’re from somewhere really cold, the water will be even colder than that! So you don’t necessarily have to have a cold plunge in an ice bath.

I still haven’t seen any studies that actually look at women at different parts of their cycle. So I think that’s really important when that study does finally come out.

Women are also very different in terms of recovery from training. So in terms of cold plunging, men should not get into a cold plunge directly after training because it will actually inhibit their muscle growth, whereas women can get into a cold plunge or have a cold shower directly after training because it will actually help us to recover by pushing our blood to the muscle for recovery.

So I think the jury’s still out. I think there’s still a lot of study that needs to be done on women compared to men. But the best thing that you can possibly do is just to tune into your body and ask your body what does it need that day.

If you need to do a cold plunge go ahead do a cold plunge or cold showers are fantastic as well. You don’t have to jump in ice to get a response from the body.

At the end of the day there are many different methods that can be used for healing and harmonizing the body, or just getting more our of life. Remember that not every method suits every body and it’s up to YOU to learn how to tune into your own body and soul and ask yourself what you need on any day, at any time. Then feel into your responses and see if it’s the right fit for you.

If you need help with your health fat loss, becoming strong or harmonizing your body, reach out for a chat with one of our holistic trainers and we will see how we can help.

Hayley

Are you ripping yourself off in the gym?

26 October 202325 October 2023 by webadmin

What happens next depends on YOUR RECOVERY protocols.

For the muscle to repair and grow, you need to FUEL yourself with PROTEIN and for women it needs to be within a 30-45 minute window directly after training.

When we train, we are actually BREAKING DOWN muscle, not actually building it.

Whaaaaat? I know it sounds strange, but in the gym when we train, heavy enough that is, we are actually creating tiny little tears in the muscle fibres. This creates an inflammatory response to help to heal the muscle and repair.

If you don’t fuel within this window, your body starts to go into a state of breakdown, which means your muscle will break down and not grow. What a waste!! LITERALLY!

Why do we want muscle to grow?

Because more muscle improve your metabolism, immune function, reduces joint pain, improves posture and so much more.

Another big problem that we see with clients coming to us because they are not getting results is, training too intensely for their body. This can come in the form of too many training days in the week, or simply following terrible trends like HIIT or Crossfit methods. These methods will put your body into a state of stress due to too many training days being encouraged in the week and not enough recovery days to promote the muscle repair, growth and healing. In the beginning they may start working, but over time you can start to see hormonal problems, weight GAIN from the body being in stress, injuries and pain from not allowing the body to heal. Or simply not turning up to sessions for fear of the days of pain that are about to come!

‘Recovery is just as important as training’

So how do you not rip yourself off in the gym and create a healthy balance to training for your body?

You start to train and eat because you love your body and not because you hate it. Too many people are trying to cut calories because they feel fat and believe that it will help them lose weight. It will in fact do the opposite, especially if you are risking your pre and post training meals.

Show me somebody training and I can tell you if they are training out of self love or hate. TRUST ME. I used to be in the latter group and it wasn’t fun. I recall going for 10k runs with tears streaming down my face because I wanted to punish myself. Or smashing myself in the gym for 90 minutes because I thought I was fat. Oh I’m so glad those days are over.

In terms of training and how many training days are too many. It depends!! Every body is different and has different needs and outcomes based on our physiological load (stress load) , our body type, our nutritional plan and of course the type of training that you are doing.

Here’s a rough guide!

If you are a healthy person

You might aim to train with weights 4 x a week then add some recovery cardio in on the other days like walking, swimming, yoga or ELDOA.

If you are just starting out and not particularly active

You might start with 2 full body strength days and one day of Yoga, ELDOA or Stretching to ease your body into the training. You’re actually better to do this than going full hog right away. Full hog will add that stress to the body and essentially rip yourself off. What a waste of precious time! After 6 weeks, add another training day, then another and watch your body change!

If you’re already training and wanting to see more STRENGTH & MUSCLE GAIN (tone) – let’s say you’re already training 3 times a week and your body is handling that well. Good recovery etc. You might add a leg training session to your week to up the anti. Legs in particular are a big calorie burner for those wanting fat loss!

If you on the other hand are already training 5-6 days a week and have hit a plateau.

Drop your sessions down to 4, feel your body release tension as your body recovers properly, you reduce stress, you can hit your gym sessions with much more energy and strength and you will not only gain some precious time back in your week, but you will start to see those results again.

Remember when we add more training, we need to add more recovery, walking, stretching, mag baths.

At H.A.I.L Fitness, we thoroughly assess each client before they begin training with us to assess their body and ability before recommending which and how many sessions to attend. This way, we get you fitter, healthier and reduce that inflammation in your bod without wasting your precious time and you get better results by doing less.

The above suggestions are a rough guide, but if you need help determining a game plan for you, book in a chat with one of our team and find out how you can start gaining your results and not waste your precious time.

It’s not about training more and eating less

26 May 202325 May 2023 by webadmin

Most people spend way too much time on two things. Training and nutrition and they focus all of their attention on these things without looking at the other main lifestyle habits that will actually add to their result. I know right, here’s someone in the fitness industry telling you to focus ‘less time’ on nutrition and training? YEOP

Do you need to train 5 x a week? No
Can you if you love training? Sure, if you’re getting a result and recovering well
Can you get a great result with training 3 x a week in the gym? Yes absolutely!
Do you need to count calories, macros and to feel like you’re dieting? Absolutely not!

There are so many other factors that will add to you either achieving your goals or not and these habits will;

be EASY to add to your day
take little to NO TIME out of your busy schedule
they will actually GIVE you more time in your day
mean you spend LESS time training
allow you to spend MORE time doing what you love

At HF Studio we focus on the holstic approach to health and fitness and we teach you all of the important lifestyle habits that you can easily filter into your day to gain a result in incredible energy, reducing stress, reducing the tummy bloat and gaining incredible physical and mental strength to make your day run more smoothly. To get MORE DONE.

If the train more, eat less method isn’t working, it’s time to try a different approach 😉

If you would like to book a complimentary Holistic Health Consult to find out what the simplest habits that you can add into your day to give you more energy and better results then click the button below.

Can Insufficient Rest Negatively Impact Your Gym Results?

25 May 202314 March 2023 by webadmin

REST DAYS

Do you have them?

Do you understand the benefits of them for muscle growth? Why do we want muscle growth?

improve body composition (reduce fat mass, increase muscle tone if needed), this is not just aesthetic but a health REQUIREMENT.
improve metabolism
increase strength for life and ageing (reduce injuries, keep working, keep living active life)
reduce muscle wastage, which happens with age

Why do we need rest days?

This is where muscle grows. We stress the muscle in the gym and make tiny tears in muscle fibres, then when we rest, the muscles repair and grow.

*** They will only grow with enough protein in your diet***

If we don’t rest, we put the body into a stressed state, and training in a stressed state actually breaks down muscle and stores fat. Which is the very opposite of the goal and why I bang on about working OUT days and working IN days.

Not only this, but to get a result in training, whether it be for increased strength or improved body composition, you need to work hard. To work hard, you need the body to be recovered from previous workouts. Otherwise you’re training in the grey zone and not hitting the workouts hard enough to create change mentioned above.

How often should you rest?

It depends. We are all different and require a different amount of training stimulous to grow, and rest to repair. It is also very dependent on your diet, of course, and your daily habits like sleep, stress, hydration etc. It will also highly depend on your training program style.

For me personally, I like to train 2-3 days, then have a rest day to recover before hitting it hard again. 💪 If it’s a week out from my period, this may change to suit my energy and hormones, having more rest days or just lighter sessions.

Does this mean you sit on the couch on rest days?

Farrrrk no! Rest from TRAINING. Training is your hard workout days. The days you’re hitting it hard in the gym, lifting weights, going all out.

So, on your rest days, get out for a walk, a swim, a slow run, do yoga, and do light movement. Just don’t ‘train’.

Your body needs to MOVE DAILY. Some days are go for it days, and some are just movement days.

So, to sum it all up;

Yes, your rest days are just as important as your training days. Factor them in.
Rest from training doesn’t mean sitting on the couch
How often you train will depend on your body and stress state
How well your body recovers depends on your lifestyle habits like sleep, stress, nutrition, hydration
Training in an unrecovered state puts your body into stress
Training in a stressed state reverses results
We need to move daily!!

Salty Soldier Slice

16 July 202522 February 2023 by webadmin

This is a nutty, almost caramelly, chocolate delight that wins at every occasion. No refined sugar and gluten free goodness. It’s also a whole foods treat that doesn’t taste like just coconut and dates!

BASE

1 cup shredded coconut
4 large medjool dates
1 cup almond meal
1/3 cup coconut oil

Method

Grease a baking dish.
Preheat the oven to 155 degrees.
Place all ingredients in a high powered blender/ Thermie or Bellini.

Blend on high until the mixture holds together when pressed between fingers.
Press into tin evenly and use the back of a spoon to smooth and compact the mixture.
Bake for 15 to 20 mins, until golden.
Remove from the oven and cool on the bench.

A special shout out to my girl Nyssa @nyssatati at Boddy Freedom Fitness for this incredible base recipe.

MIDDLE

About 400g (ish) Tahini
1/3 cup maple syrup (then a splash more to taste)
2 tablespoons of Maca powder

Method

Place all ingredients in food processor and blend until combined. I do this to taste so don’t be shy to taste and add as you need! It should have a nice nutty flavour.

Once mixed well spread over the cooled base!

CHOC TOP

Absolute Organic Dark Choc chips 3/4 of the bag
2cm of butter (about 2cm piece cut off 250g block)

Method

Melt in a double boiler (aka a bowl over boiling water) then spread over the nutty center.
Sprinkle with celtic salt! This is the flavour kicker. The salty with the sweet!
Place in the fridge or freezer to set. Once set cut into small squares and enjoy!

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Paleo Banana Bread

15 January 2023 by webadmin

When you want a delicious treat without the sugar, without the gluten bloat AND without the grains, this is it!

Unrefined sugar like coconut sugar or honey is optional here if you need it sweeter. I find if the bananas are nice and over ripe, AKA with black marks, then the banana bread will be sweet enough.

Perfect with a cuppa or in a lunch box.

Have a play and change the fruit around or add choc chips, walnuts or raisins to add a lil sum’n sum’n. If adding choc chips, Pana are great and will keep the bread sugar free.

I’ve even ran out of almond meal and made it half half with almond & coconut flour. The coco flour is much lighter and makes it less dense. If you want a fluffier bread try that. I like mine nice and dense with the almond flour.

Being more nutrient dense, a small slice is nice & filling. Yumm!

Banana bread recipe

1 cup mashed banana (3 large, 4 small)
150g butter cubed
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
2 cups almond meal
1 tsp baking powder

Optional – 1/4 cup choc chips, walnuts or raisins

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°
Mix butter, eggs and vanilla with beaters.
Add mashed banana and mix
Then add dry ingredients and fold through
Put into lined loaf tin and bake on 180 for 30-40 mins or until a knife comes out clean when inserted into loaf.
Cool and eat as is! Slice up and store in the fridge. It will firm up in the fridge.

Enjoy and don’t forget to tag me on insta if you make it – @hail_fitness

Not sure how to eat to suit your body to gain the best energy, mental clarity and gym results? Find all of that and so much more in my next Nutrition For Life workshop here.

WORKSHOP

NUTRITION for life!

Learn how to gain INCREDIBLE energy for your busy days and how to stop looking for the next diet to help you. How to gain better mental clarity, get more restful sleep improve stress and how to look after your health for the rest of your LIFE!

Fitness gadgets are disconnecting you from your body

25 May 202327 August 2022 by webadmin

The more we follow gadgets for health the less we are in touch with our body. Gadgets, like step trackers, food calculators, meal plans, will all treat you like a robot.

Sure, the recommendation to move daily is 10,000 steps, but does that take into account your energy, stress load, if you are unwell, your mobility or daily lifestyle?

Your macro calculator may say to eat X amount of protein daily, but are you digesting and assimilating and eliminating it well? You can put the food in but is your body using it properly? All the macro and calorie counting is useless and possibly even making you more sick or more over-fed and under-nourished. Definitely less connected to your body.

Food plans, don’t even get me started. Basically if I wanted to make a lot of money with little regard to actually helping people, I’d write a food plan. A food plan does not know your body, personal goals, lifestyle, stress load, digestive health, liver function, bowel movements and so on. Nor does it know your ancestral type. How much protein, carbs or fat YOUR body needs, which will change on any given day depending on your movements.

If you can buy a food plan without anybody asking you questions about the above body responses, RUN!

Yes, if needed to, I will tap into a step tracker, even a macro tracker if a client really doesn’t have an idea what macronutrients are or how much movement is enough movement. They’re a TOOL to be used for a short period in some cases, not to live your life by.

The longer you spend using these tools and plans, the less in touch you become with your body and it’s needs.

Our body is always giving us signs of what it needs. Signs like a little pain in the back or neck to tell us to eat more protein or to drink more water, stretch more or to train differently. A sign of jumpy mind or ADHD behavior, not sleeping well or waking up rested, or even our mood being flat and lethargic. These are all signs of our nutrition needs not being met.

Our food is not only medicine but a gateway into fuelling our body to be able to live, create, move, inspire, to be happy and to live out our dreams and desires.

Without a healthy body you will struggle to have a healthy mindset. The gateway to that healthy mindset is nourishment and movement, the right type for YOU.

Learn how to tune into your own body, it’s needs, listen to the signs it’s giving you and learn which foods are YOUR medicine and which ones are YOUR poison in my upcoming Nutrition For Life workshop. Gain nutrition freedom and learn the ‘non diet’ approach to health and happiness. Learn to nourish your body not only for a healthy mindset but for a healthy and happy life.

WORKSHOP

NUTRITION for life!

Sick Fit

25 May 202326 August 2022 by webadmin

I was sick fit for many years and didn’t know it. How could I not know that I was sick? Because I was being led and influenced by people who were also ‘sick fit.’

What is sick fit?

Sick fit is the term to describe someone who looks fit and healthy, but on the inside is sick from over-raining, under-recovering, dieting heavily and focussing only on what they look like on the outside and paying no attention to what’s happening on the inside of their body or how their actual health is.

Sick Fit = Looks good/hot, but has terrible health/pain/immune function

I’ll tell you what happened to me. I used to train at least 6 times a week, lifting weights for an hour to 90 minutes. Then some days I would also run up to 10k. ALSO, not INSTEAD OF. I was consistently on a diet or ‘counting my macros’ and weighing my food to make sure I wasn’t overeating and was eating foods only deemed as ‘clean’. Well, until Saturday nights when I would absolutely binge my hole out due to being so restricted in calories and nutrients all week.

I would constantly weigh myself, get my body fat % taken and every time I passed a mirror, I was making sure I wasn’t putting on fat anywhere. I was NEVER happy with how I looked, NEVER. I was constantly cutting, constantly wanting bigger shoulders, a bigger bum, a smaller waist. It was never enough.

This drove me to keep pushing, keep dieting, keep lifting heavier and heavier, and to keep absolutely smashing my body.

Eventually I developed a stage 3 adrenal fatigue and had to take a few weeks off work to sleep. I had to quit training altogether for 3 months and just walk. My blood pressure was so low that I would almost pass out when I was at work. I would train a client, and then go to the staff room to sleep on the floor. I was wrecked.

Even after I came out of the later stages of adrenal fatigue, I went right back to thrashing my body again. I dropped running, big whoop! Ha.

But I continued to lift 6 days a week, dieted heavily, never paid any attention to gut healing, immune health or on noticing that every single week I had a headache. Yes EVERY SINGLE WEEK I had a debilitating headache, often making me want to vomit. Sometimes lasting for weeks.

I had continuously a sore shoulder, my neck and upper back were always tight, oh and I forgot to add that during having the adrenal fatigue I bulged my L5/S1 disk in my lower back. A side effect from a weakened system is poor core function and stability. So my lower back would flare up often.

The point of my story is that I looked great! I looked healthy to the untrained eye, I looked fit as fuck!! But I was very unwell on the inside.

I was ‘sick fit’.

In all honestly I would say the a lot of people in the fitness industry are sick fit. In a completely honest guess I would say a good 70 – 80% are.

In the fitness industry it is praised to look a certain way, to be able to deadlift a certain amount or just to do cool looking shit for Instagram, but what is happening to the inside of the body from all of the dieting and over training? Nothing good that’s for sure! Unhealthy people are spreading an unhealthy mentality around health and fitness. It’s not their fault, they only know what they know, like I only knew what I knew back then.

I still remember when I was working in a big gym in Sydney and I was starting to ‘wake up’ to all of the over-training and dieting, not working for true health. One of the trainers asked me if I’d trained today and I said that I’d gone for a walk. He laughed and said ‘that’s not training’ and walked off. If we get down to the finer details, he was right – it wasn’t ‘training’ as such, but it was movement, healthy movement for what I needed that day. Yet I felt ashamed for not smashing myself as was expected.

After I moved away from Sydney and away from the big gyms I was able to fully adopt a much more healthy training style and to actually heal my body. I learned how to eat to nourish my body, how to train and not end up with a debilitating headache, I learned why I was getting recurring shoulder pain (my food and gut health!) and best of all, I learned how to rest and not to feel guilty about it. Well, sometimes I still struggle with this one, but remember – I was an addict and those habits die hard.

The point that I’m making is that a lot of the industry that is teaching health and fitness is actually sick and unwell themselves. Yes ,they look great, they are ripped, they have abs, they can do pull ups, but often they have poor immune function, they get recurring pain or injuries due to poor connective tissue and poor organ function, they have terrible gut health due to not eating a variety of foods and they take a shit tonne of supplements just to feel good because they are starving themselves of actual nutrients. This isn’t health or fitness, it is sick fit. Making yourself sick to look fit.

I was compelled to write this as I am getting more and more clients come to me in adrenal fatigue, having recurring injuries or just a poor mindset about what health and fitness actually is. They’re training 6 days a week at a high intensity and they’re coming to me looking like a burnt piece of toast. (Paul Cheks term, I can’t claim that one, lol)

Health and fitness is:

Being healthy not only on the outside but on the inside too
Having a healthy immune system
Having good digestion
Not dieting, but eating to give your body energy and to have incredible health
Having a healthy mindset about yourself and about training
Training well and resting well too
Training to get results but also knowing when to back off to get results
Sleeping well
Managing your stress levels
Having other ways to move that are not limited to a gym

True health FEELS INCREDIBLE and it makes you FEEL UNSTOPPABLE. You can look after yourself and still have energy for life. You can move your body daily and not absolutely drain yourself of energy and best of all you can do this and still get results! Whether that is fat loss that you need, improved muscle tone or just to feel strong as fuck. Health and fitness is achieved with a balanced approach.

Our body is always communicating with us in different ways but the simplest way it is showing you if you’re on the right path is;

Good energy
Good immune function (not getting colds and flu)
Good POOP
Good sleep
Not feeling in a constant state of stress
Healthy period (no pain, moodiness, bloating, booby soreness, extreme fatigue)
No recurring pain in the body (there are exceptions to this of course)
Good moods
Good response to exercise

The best advice that I can give you is to pay attention to your body and the little signs that it gives you. It is always telling us if we need to be giving it more attention or just a different type of attention. It speaks to us in all of the ways listed above.

Listen to the whispers or you will be forced to hear the screams.

Learn how to train better, not necessarily harder, and that will be different to every body as we are all unique. Learn how to eat to fuel and to heal your body. Learn how to reduce the stressors that wreak havoc on your health.

Lastly if you do need help learning a better way to look after your body in a much more balanced approach, reach out. It is my goal to help as many people as possible to heal themselves through health and fitness and to not only chase, but to live their dream life.

Healing Chicken Soup

16 July 20254 June 2019 by webadmin

Chicken Soup is so easy to make and this one tastes delicious is packed full of health benefits and will nip any cold in the bud!

You’ll need:

A free range whole chicken
1 onion
1-2 carrots
A few stalks of celery
1 parsnip
1 swede
1 – 2 potatoes depending on how many veggies you like
Herbamere salt (Coles or Woollies health food section or health food shop) Can use regular celtic or hymalayan salt
Butter
Spring water
Bunch of parsley
Garlic

Dice the onion, and chop carrot and celery. Heat some butter in a large pot and add the onion, carrot and celery and saute for about 4 minutes.

Add the chicken to the pot and cover with water. Add 20 shakes of herbamere and a large handful of chopped parsley. Bring it to the boil and then turn it down to simmer for 30mins. Add the rest of the vegetables chopped and simmer for another 30minutes.

Then take the cooked chicken out and pull off all of the meat and chop it up to add back to the soup.

Serve topped with a minced fresh garlic clove. I love garlic so I put 2 or 3 on mine!! Garlic is fantastic for speeding up your metabolism too and is antimicrobial, anti-fungal!

This will keep you healthy and warm in the winter months!

Enjoy!

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This is me…

25 May 202322 April 2019 by webadmin

It’s time I shared the REAL story.

Exercise saved my life.

I thought I’d fill you all in on the full story of my past. The dirty dark side because it shaped me to be the strong and powerful woman you see here today.

I wasn’t born into a fit and healthy family. I had quite a challenging childhood in fact. To say it wasn’t easy would be an understatement. At the time I didn’t know any different of course but when I share stories of my life I often get strange looks, and when I hear stories about others, I came to the conclusion that my life was a little different. This is not a sob story, but one of strength and power to overcome the hand I’d been dealt.

My father was/is an alcoholic and when I was young he sexually abused me. Many times. It got to a point that when we were at school we learned about sexual abuse and learnt how to yell NO. I still remember this class very clearly. The next time it happened, I yelled NO. And it stopped. At that moment I saved myself from the immediate threat, but it lead to an adolescence filled with escapism and self loathing.

I didn’t tell anybody at the time because you just don’t, you feel ashamed and somehow like it’s your fault and think that nobody will believe you anyway, so I lived with it hidden for many years. I would have nightmares as a child, I was accused of not concentrating at school or of being a day dreamer as my teachers would write in my report cards. I was never diagnosed with anything but with what I know now, I think that I may have been suffering from some kind of PTSD or depression or both?

In my 20’s I found relief……….in drugs. It started out as what you would consider just being a party girl. I lived every week planning the next party and survived through the week on a cocktail of cigarettes, and Redbull. I loved drugs because they made me feel free. They gave me confidence, strength, they made me feel happy and they made me forget about everything painful. I felt calm. I felt at ease. I loved nothing more than getting wasted, then all of a sudden Saturday nights turned into Sunday mornings and they turned into Sunday nights. Then Fridays too and then Wednesdays, because I couldn’t wait all week.

It got to the point where the high was never enough and I would keep climbing, keep going for days because I didn’t want to face my life. On the outside I was always bubbly, happy, making jokes but on the inside I was hurting. I hated who I was, I just wanted to be the happy, confident and free Hayley, and drugs gave me that feeling.

So I took more and more until one day I was hospitalised for a reaction to a pill. I had been up for so many days and had taken so many drugs that I started fitting, until my friend took me to hospital and they filled me up with enough valium to sink a ship, until I finally stopped fitting and then slept for a long time. Days in fact. I was in hospital for the week until they let me out. Wake up call? Not yet…. I wasn’t done.

The definition of addiction – addiction is a condition in which a person engages in use of a substance or in a behavior for which the rewarding effects provide a compelling incentive to repeatedly pursue the behavior despite detrimental consequences.

So I guess I was an addict?

The very next weekend I did it all again, and again, and again. Until one day a friend came to visit me and we went out for the weekend. When she got home she told me that she had cried for 2 hours on the way home because she was so worried about me. Then I changed. I saw the effect it had on my friend and thought ‘I must be fucked up’. To change, you need to feel ashamed, you need to feel somewhat disgusted at what you’ve become, you need to feel the pain of staying the same, and I finally did.

I took myself away from Sydney and everything that would tempt me to take drugs. I even then took myself overseas to finally travel, something I’d wanted to do for years. I then lived and worked overseas for 5 years and in that time I found fitness and became a PT. I have no doubt that I used exercise as a new addiction in the beginning, something to take the pain away and something to give me a high, but it also changed my life.

I had finally found something that made me stronger, that made me walk taller, that made me feel amazing and that built my mental strength as much as physical.

Over the 10 years since I found fitness I have built myself up, everyday. I still have days and weeks where life is tough, we all do. But there are less and less of these. Every week you get stronger, you get better, you can handle more, and it hurts less until it doesn’t hurt at all.

Training to me is something that brings out the best in you, it certainly brings up some shit along the way that’s for sure, but if I didn’t find fitness I honestly don’t know where I’d be.

I am no longer ashamed to tell you this as I am so incredibly proud of how far I have come in my life and I am proud of how many obstacles that I have faced along the way. I just felt so compelled to tell you all this finally, because if it inspires one person to face their demons then my work is done. I feel like I have just stripped naked in front of you, bearing it all but I still wanted to show you.

This is me.

Back pain and some not so obvious causes

25 May 202323 March 2017 by webadmin

Working with many young men and women I am finding that too many are having back injuries or weakness of the back muscles at a very young age. I thought i’d outline some possible causes of back pain and injuries and also share my own experience.

My Experience

I had a slipped disk 2 years ago which has only healed as of this year. Slipped or bulging disks usually take 2 years to heal properly. At the time of the injury, my doctor was very thorough in having me do a MRI scan. On having the scan we saw that my disk was pressing on my spinal cord causing a considerable amount of pain, and sciatica (nerve pain down the leg as a result of pressure on the sciatic nerve). My GP told me I should see a surgeon to consider an operation. An operation? Seriously? I was 30 years old and the last thing I needed was an operation which would eliminate me from being able to do allot of normal activities and exercises in years to come. I asked the doctor for options and he reluctantly passed me onto a Physiotherapist. He also advised that if I couldn’t feel 80% better within a month to see the surgeon. Challenge accepted! I spent the next month doing physio exercises and stretches and changing my usual exercise routine. No more heavy leg sessions and no more barbell squats! It took time, setbacks, a few more massages than normal, a lot of Voltaren and great amount of perseverance but NO SURGERY!

The point to my story is, look at your options. I do believe that Dr’s have a place and are very useful, but I also believe that all too often that diet and exercise is pushed aside. Or heavy pain killers are easily passed out. Pain killers will mask your pain, not improve the cause.

Here are a few possible causes of back pain:

1- Dehydration – Up to 80% of back injuries are caused by dehydration. When dehydrated, our muscles can become tight and collect lactic acid. What happens when muscles are tight is they pull on bones that they are attached to, and boom, injury! So if you suffer from back pain, try increasing your water intake. It may not be an instant improvement and may take up to a month to notice changes but it’s cheap and will improve your health if nothing else.

2 – Belly Button Rings – I know this one sounds strange but I also had a belly button ring and i’ve now taken it out and my back and core strength have improved. Metals are conductive and also excite the autonomic nervous system, causing organs to become inflamed and confused. This then can cause the core muscles to switch off or not work properly. Weak core leads to back pain or injury. It’s not a coincidence that many girls with belly piercings have also got back injuries. If you have a belly button ring, test taking it out and exercising and see the difference in your core strength. You may also notice that any digestion issues that you have will improve too. Cheap metals can also seep into the body and cause heavy metal poisoning which is even worse and can take years to fix. If you really can’t live without your piercing, just put it in for special occasions and use non conductive rings.

3 – Tight muscles surrounding the back – Tightness or inflexibility of the hips, hamstrings and calves lead to back pain and in time injury. These could also be caused by the dehydration that we spoke about earlier, or just from being inactive. Many people these days have jobs where they need to sit at a desk for long durations. This causes the muscles of the hips to shorten and the back muscles become tight. Good news is that these can all be fixed by including a good stretch program into your daily routine. If you have tight muscles causing an imbalance in the body, you need to spend time each day stretching them to improve the overall balance. Also, get up from your desk regularly and go for a walk.

4 – Muscle weakness – As sitting down causes tightness, it also causes weakness in other muscles. Glute (aka your BUTT) and core weakness is also a common cause of back pain and injury. When we sit down our core muscles go ahhh, i’m off shift. So again this can be fixed by including Core and Glute strengthening into your exercise routine. Functional exercises like squats, glute bridges and lunges are a great addition to a weak glute complex. Lying clam shell exercises are a favourite of mine to improve the glute mead which can get a little lazy too.

5 – Poor posture – Hunching or slouching can lead to back pain. Think of all of your muscles being connected. They all meet somehow through another, so if one is weak it will cause another to work more. So weak upper back muscles cause us to lean forward and puts stress on the lower back. Again this can be fixed by including strength exercises for the core and upper back muscles. Rows or a move where you are pulling a weight towards you help to strengthen the back. Usually combined with weak upper back is a tight chest. This can also be caused by leaning over a desk all day. Again, get up, stretch and move!

6 – Stress – A major contributor to illness and injuries is stress. Lower back pain can often become worse when having money issues in particular. When stressed we tend to breathe less or shallower. Breathing less lowers the oxygen provided to the body and increases the buildup of biochemical waste products in the muscles. As we spoke about before, this causes inflammation and your core muscles don’t work as they should. Stress can be managed. You can’t always change your situation, but you can change your reaction to it. Ways to decrease stress. Take a 20minute walk, meditate, play your favourite music, exercise, get beck to nature and take your shoes off to feel the ground, talk to someone who can help or do any of your favourite stress free activities including a glass of wine if that helps YOU.

7 – Inactivity – Often when we have an injury we think we need to do nothing so it heals. People become afraid to do normal daily activities for fear of worsening the injury. This often leads to inactivity which causes a certain amount of atrophy in the muscle, when in fact those muscles really need strengthening. If you don’t use it, you lose it! A good exercise program written by an exercise professional will not only improve your atrophic muscles but also get you back doing your normal activities and maybe even more than you did before!

I hope this helps explain some of the possible causes of back pain and injury. Reading these articles will only help if you take the information and try it out for yourself. Most of the things I have listed you can try straight away, so get up, get moving, stretch, breathe and fill your water bottles!

Hayley

Healthier food court guide

16 July 20252 December 2016 by webadmin

So December craziness has hit and it’s time to be running around like tired crazy people trying to keep themselves from drowning in the last few days of 2016 and stay sane!

Lets talk about X-mas shopping and going to the shopping malls. I was shopping with Ash last week and I thought it might be helpful to post a little guide on the better food choices in a shopping centre.

Of course bringing your own food would always beat anything, but who’s really going to pack the esky and cooler packs ready to hit the shops after weighing out each meal and calculating all of the macros in each meal, putting them all in BPA free containers, to be eaten at regular 3hr intervals in your shopping day. Pfffft not me!

We’re all about being REAL and REALISTIC at H.A.I.L Fitness and I always go by the rule of, if I wouldn’t do it, I won’t expect my clients to either, yes that means all of the exercises I give you to complete, I have done at one time or another. 🙂

So lets get to the better choices to make when out shopping all day. Of course eat a really good breakfast in the morning before you go like eggs on sourdough with avocado and a squeeze of lemon. Really that doesn’t take long to whip up, 10mins maximum. If you are a protein type (our clients get quizzed on body type to know how to eat for their body) then lower the sourdough to one slice with 2 eggs or no bread at all depending on how you will eat for the rest of the day. Mixed types will benefit from lowering the avocado amount so that you don’t feel too heavy, and Carb types eat the 2 slices of sourdough and minimal avocado and one egg as they require a lower amount of protein.

BETTER FOOD CHOICES IN A FOOD COURT

Sumo Salad has some great fresh salads on offer with minimal dressing, opt for the protein and green ones, I think I tried the avocado and feta chicken. It actually had a decent amount of chicken in it, which will keep those protein levels to where they need to be and the added avocado and feta will give you a great serve of healthy fats to support the shopping energy needed!

SUSHI ??!! – Watch out for sushi!! You might think you’re eating a healthy lunch but if you’re enjoying the rice pieces of sushi, like a salmon taster for example you are probably consuming over or all of your daily carb intake in ONE sitting. (depending on your body type of course, which you all know) If you’re having sushi eat the sashimi and seaweed salad options instead.

Guzman and Gomez – is a good option and serve brown rice bowls that are super delicious. Again, if you’re a protein type go easy on the rice and perhaps order the no carb options. These guys are generous with the protein which is great.

Grill’d – Love these burgers so much and the chips, aghhhhhh. BUT if you’re on a fat loss plan, I would order the low carb bun and no chips, sorry. Unless of course this is your treat meal for the week then go for your life. Being a mixed type, I order the low carb bun and chips for my treat meal as I can’t fit it all in otherwise, oink oink. 😉 Just looking on their website the regular bun is around 40g of carb and just by swapping to the low carb option you have halved your carb intake.

Cafe – There are usually healthier options at most cafes, think chicken ceasar salad BUT order the dressing on the side as often they drown the salad in the dressing, or any type of protein and salad option. Don’t be afraid to ask the staff if your salad comes with dressing on it, it’s your meal, your body so you have a choice in asking for no dressing if need be. Then perhaps a squeeze of lemon on the side. Or if the wagu beef burger sounds amazing go ahead and order it, with no bun perhaps. I assure you it will still taste delicious, plus you will still reach your goal. Be careful in cafes if chips are on every plate, because once they’re in front of you…….. it won’t end well.

Popular Juice Bars??!! – Be careful, most of the juices are loaded with sugar and actually poured from a plastic container and aren’t even fresh. SOME of the fresh green juices are OK but soon as you see banana, dates, coconut, frozen yogurt it is LOADED with sugar. I just looked at some of the popular ones online and here’s their sugar content

Veggie garden – 26g
Wild Berry – 5og
Immunity Juice – 30g

In one teaspoon of sugar it’s about 5 g so add that up!! I read the ingredients in the frozen yogurt that it used at one popular store and it includes some type of sugar in each one like sugar, glucose syrup or liquid sugar. YUMM if you’re eating your treat meal for the week perhaps, if not stick to green juices with just a piece of fruit to sweeten them up. Fresh is best!

Wraps or Sandwiches – Yes a good option, just look at your ingredients going into the wrap and make sure there aren’t too many sauces or dressings again. A little bit of avocado, fetta or whole egg mayonnaise is great for flavour and a healthier option than a dressing. I always tell my clients to order extra protein as most places are a little low on the protein going into your wrap. The correct amount of protein for YOUR body per meal will be around the size of your palm. It’s an easy way to measure when you’re out and about.

If you really don’t have the time to sit, pack some quest bars, nuts, water, piece of fruit etc and a bottle of water in your handbag. Nuts are great for energy being high in good fats and will help to keep you full until you make the time to sit and eat.

That should be a pretty good guide for eating in a food court and still managing to stay healthy and fit and get that shopping done with a clear mind, no sugar crashes and no hanger!!

Happy shopping and training guys and girls,

Hayley x

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Nourishing in your 40’s

How Jordana lost 40kg and found her identity again

25 May 202310 November 2016 by webadmin

First can you describe yourself before you started on your health journey?

I was a new mum , wondering why my clothes just didn’t fit. I was tired all the time and had no energy to do anything.I was in denial about how much weight I had gained and automatically assumed as soon as my belly went down everything would fit. I couldn’t even get my size 12 shorts over my knees.

1. You have lost an incredible 40kg, how did you get started?

I started googling fad diets, after realising that I was never going to stick to any of them. I stumbled across food swapping I just made better choices I had swapped hot chips to sweet potato, coke to water, white rice to brown ect. At this stage I tried to take my son for a walk in the pram he would scream the entire time. So I decided not to focus on exercise but what I ate instead.

2. What was your WHY? Why did you want to lose weight and start a healthy life?

I felt like I had lost my identity, all of a sudden I was this first time mum stuck at home all the time, I felt isolated and felt like I had no control over anything. I didn’t want to have a weight problem at 21. I wanted to feel happy , confident and set an example for my son. The idea of him learning my eating habits and having a weight problem terrifies me. It’s a road that I’ll try my hardest for him to never go down.

3. What did you begin to notice as you lost weight? Physically or mentally?

It’s most definitely a physical thing nothing made me more excited then fitting back into old clothes.

4. Did you fail or have bumps in the road? Fall off the plan? Feel like giving up?

So many bumps in the road! It took me a long time to lose all that weight but each time I fell off the plan, the next time I was always more informed and more prepared. I think it’s important to make small goals it helps to keep the motivation going.

5. How did you find HAIL Fitness?

I was actually lucky enough to find H.A.I.L Fitness on Facebook where I won a competition where I received 8 weeks of personal training!

6. Why did you ask us to help you?

I just wanted to be happy. I loved the fact that H.A.I.L Fitness wasn’t promoting a quick fix but they were teaching you the tools you need to carry on a healthy lifestyle long after you have finished training with them.

7. What was an obstacle or belief that stopped you from hiring a PT sooner?

As a parent I’ve always spent any spare cash on my child , I’ve always felt guilty for spending money on myself. So I loved the fact I could spilt the cost with my friend to make personal training more affordable for me.

8. Did you notice any changes or improvements after starting with us?

My first 8 weeks with H.A.I.L Fitness I lost 7% body fat and my second, I lost 5kgs which was 29cm in my measurements! For the first time in my life I actually have some stomach definition!! I’m not tired all the time and I feel more confident in myself.

9. What specific feature did you enjoy about training with HAIL Fitness?

Everything was tailored to my needs. I wanted to be able to eat well but not spend hours doing meal prep .I wanted to make the most of my workouts but not feel like I needed to go to the gym every day to see progress. Personal training 2x a week was all I needed.

10. What would be 3 benefits of starting training with us?

Proven results
Programs tailored to your individual needs
Being able to spilt the cost with your friends and have someone to share the journey with you

11. What would you say to someone who has a long way to go or is considering hiring H.A.I.L Fitness to help them?

‘You will not be disappointed. Hayley and Ash have changed my life for the better. Probably more then they will never know . I’ve had so much help and support to keep me going. I know I would of given up without them. H.A.I.L fitness has given me the tools to be able to lead a healthy lifestyle by helping me understand exercise and the importance of making good food choices not only for myself but for my family too.

If you have a long way to go, just keep going .Be realistic about your goals. If I can lose 40kgs anyone can. It’s going to be tough and you probably will get off track but as long as each time you learn from your mistakes you’re always going to do better. You can not put a price on your health and H.A.I.L Fitness is most definitely worth every cent.’

Staying FIT & STRONG through stress

25 May 202318 October 2016 by webadmin

I just wanted to touch base with you all in regards to the busy end of year period. It seems that the busy times are hitting us early this year and everyones bosses are expecting more from them and pushing them harder, or businesses are picking up and it may be taking it’s toll on you physically or mentally.

The most important person you can look after now is YOU and it is even more important to make sure you are getting enough of these following things to keep up with the pace.

Training throughout these times is still as essential as it always is, BUT you need to listen to your body. If my clients turn up to a session i can normally tell if they’re up for a biggie or not, i’ve got a sixth sense, but i always encourage them to tell me if their body isn’t feeling it anyway and i will always adjust the training sessions to accommodate. This isn’t slacking off! It’s simply learning the all important lesson of using what you have and doing what you can. Pushing yourself in a hard session on top of pushing yourself in every other area of your life will indeed get you sick, more tired than you already are and you may even drop off training because you can’t cope! Cortisol is a wonderful hormone, when we stress it is used, also when we train it is used, if we run out and the body can’t keep up with your demands, you will soon learn what adrenal fatigue is and will have to take time out from training, work and possibly even stress your loved ones due to you being an emotional wreck. So back off your training on days when the stress levels are high, then you can come back and kick butt on the other days to come! It doesn’t mean you have to do nothing, i sometimes still do the same sessions, just using lighter weights, less reps or less sets. This will decrease the physical load on the body and won’t demand too much of your energy.

Nutrition as always this is number 1! If your body isn’t fuelled correctly, it won’t work to the peak performance demands that you are making. Now sometimes you might think that you are eating healthy, but signs that you’re not eating enough of right for your body type would be, looking for sugar or sweet foods, needing more caffeine especially in the afternoon, tired, can’t train well, aren’t sleeping, feeling bloated, aren’t waking up rested etc etc. You can be eating healthy foods but not the right macronutrients for your body type, if any of the above symptoms sound familiar i am happy to help you find your answer to nutrition for you.

Sleep is so important. You might think that alcohol is your favourite thing in the world, lol, but go without sleep for a few nights and you will soon learn how lack of sleep affects everything. A lack of a good nights sleep will affect your hormones dramatically. Gaining more weight around your middle? I can guarantee that if you aren’t getting a good quality nights sleep this is one of the causes of that fat gain. Again this is due to the hormones, they want to replenish the stores and reset in the evening, and if you’re not resting and getting a good sleep your hormones won’t replenish. Leaving you feeling tired, emotional and not feeling on top of things in your daily activities. This leads to perhaps increasing your carbs and particularly sugar. Again another of my first questions that i ask my clients is, are you sleeping well, if not we put in some healthy sleep plans in place to make sure they are feeling their best. I know, you probably don’t think your pt would give you a bed time but i do, 10pm is the goal!!

Fill your cup, this is something that is a MUST and should be booked into your week every week! Find some time to laugh, be with loved ones and just muck around, go to the beach or a little self love. This itself, will decrease stress and make you feel like you again. Something that i am still working on as i tend to be a bit of a workaholic but i am learning this one from my clients. I try to book in some self love or time with friends every week. So a massage, getting my nails done or the likes of. When you’re a mum or a business person or someone who gives a lot, it’s important to find some time to fill your own cup. You can’t help anybody else unless you keep your own cup full and work on yourself first.

I hope this helps some of you get through these next few months ahead!! Lets finish 2016 FIT and STRONG!

Hayley xx

‘Phew… something that makes sense and works’

6 January 202128 July 2016 by webadmin

Hail Fitness client, Maeve Heaney, tells us about her experiences with us and also talks about her challenges faced in her journey and how she continues to overcome them.

1. How would you describe yourself before you started training with Hayley?

Very busy – with what feels like quite a stressful workload – although love what I do:)! Physically, I was unsatisfied with my attempts to keep a balance: while never overweight, strictly speaking, I felt heavier than I was comfortable with, despite having quite a healthy diet and more exercise in my life than in previous years.

Shifting that weight and staying fit has been a challenge in recent years.

2. Were you already training and what results were you getting or not getting?

For the last 5 years, I have been running 1-2 times a week (depending on work, mainly). But I have not seen the effects I wanted to: I enjoyed it, but thought it would help in weight control, which it really did not, or not as much as I felt it should…

3. Were there any injuries etc to work around or exercise barriers?

Time for exercise was (and at times is) still a barrier – although as much mental as actual. I work in academia – and that implies lots of time writing, preparing classes, chasing publishing deadlines… Not a very body-aware occupation! Finding a rhythm of exercise that suited me and sticking to it was difficult. Perhaps especially when I felt it was not really achieving what I hoped it would.

4. What results have you received?

Two things have shifted quite radically:
I have learned stuff about my own diet needs, and daily rhythm, and on what suits my body-type that I was completely unaware of. That has made weight control much easier,
And I have got into the rhythm of a form of exercise that is actually affecting my overall fitness and body – both in how healthy and supple I feel, and in losing the weight that over the past years I had got used to having. It’s such a pleasure to be able to wear my old clothes and feel comfortable with how I feel.

We academics work a lot with our minds – and it can seem like the body is not important. That’s false. I teach aesthetics. How we look and feel is not superficial… it is part of our whole sense of self. It’s important to like how you look and feel.

I am still very busy:) – that will not change any day soon! And every now and again have to be careful about work eating up my exercise regime, but having someone to keep that in check a bit is also helpful. I travel a lot for work, but I touch base with Hayley when back – which just helps me keep the momentum going and take the next step.

5. Was it easy to follow the advice given?

Yes – because I was given the rationale behind it and it made sense. I have a sixth sense for people who know what they’re doing and are good at it, so that makes following instructions easier. Also, with the exercise regime – Hayley took it step by step, and feeling myself improve as we went along was great.

6. What would you say to someone who was thinking of starting a health journey with HAIL Fitness?

I would completely recommend it. The main reasons being they are good at what they do, and in my experience are not giving general advice or seeking to make everyone do the same, or sign up for something, but to help you learn what you need to know about your lifestyle, body, rhythm, diet and exercise needs to be healthy and achieve the results you are after.

7. How would you describe yourself and your knowledge now?

Clichéd as it may sound: “phew…”finally: something that makes sense and works for me”. Am still learning and getting getting into that rhythm… but really happy about having gone down this route!

This year it’s my year!

25 May 202315 March 2016 by webadmin

THIS YEAR IT’S YOUR TIME TO SHINE!

It’s wonderful to see so many people on January 1st excited to kick themselves in the butt and reach their goal of health and happiness in 2016!. Goals are set, motivation is high and if you’re in Australia, the weather is just perfect to get out and sweat your little heart out. But…..

yes here it is, only 10% of people actually stick to a new health and fitness routine, 10 PERCENT!!! I know it’s sad isn’t it? Well i’m going to give you some tips to assist you to stick to your goals and this time stay there! Going from couch potato to training 5 times a week is physically demanding, mentally challenging and going to take up more time than you think. I’m not saying don’t exercise, but think about your goals and make a REALISTIC plan first. Too often i see clients train up to 5 times in the first week (despite my advice to start slow), then the next week, POOF they disappear, gone. Sound familiar? As a health coach, i’m here to guide you to success, long term, not to just train you once per week and who cares what you do in the rest of your week.

I hope these tips help you stay on track this time.

First have a realistic goal. Losing 2kg a week is unrealistic for the average person. At HAIL Fitness we don’t do fad diets or quick fixes. Long term results and healthy and happy lifestyles is our specialty. Fast fat losses are more than likely going to give you metabolic damage, which means your metabolism will slow down and you will gain MORE FAT than you began with. Realistically, that fat mass took time to increase, so it’s going to take time to make new habits and stick to them.
Find something that makes you want to get out and do it! Yes of course there are better ways of doing things for better results, but will you do it? Find something that you enjoy doing, if you’re having fun you are more likely to stick to it. Then change it up so you don’t get bored. Think about swimming, tennis, paddle boarding, hiking, gym, the list is endless!!
Be realistic and don’t cut out food groups. So often I hear “I’ve cut out all carbs because I lost 5kg in a week last time”. Ok maybe you did, but what happened after that week of no carb motivation wore off? It gets boring and you give up and your body is lacking CARBS or energy!! Never cut out a whole food group, unless it’s a medical reason or you’ve been advised by a nutritionist or health professional. If you are eating well 80% of your week, and enjoying LIFE with a cheeky treat or lunch out with friends once in a while, you’re more likely to stick to that and get the results you’re after, LONG TERM, which is what you really want, don’t you?
Don’t take on too many intense training sessions in one week. Believe it or not but you don’t have to train like a beast EVERYDAY to get results. Alternate sessions from full body resistance training one day, to light walking or yoga the next, then HIIT (high intensity interval training) the next. Training too hard everyday will only put too much stress on your body and hormonal system and eventually burn you out. You want to have the energy to enjoy your life too as well as get results.
Too much time spent training – I never recommend anybody train intensly for more than one hour a day. Training can be too much of a good thing too and you will burn out as mentioned above.
Get expert advice. As trainers and health coaches we know how to get you to a goal, and keep you there through our coaching programs. So if time is an issue, we know how to make a plan thats 30 minutes long with great returns. We don’t just train you physically, but mentally too.
Find friends and family to support you. This one is hard and sometimes some people in your life don’t want you to change, I have experienced this first hand. You need support, the top 5 people you spend time with will determine your success! Think about it. Who are they and do they support you? If not, join a fitness group with similar people to you. It’s an easier road with support.
Change one thing at a time – this one is tough as everybody just wants to wake up and automatically crave green smoothies and long fitness sessions. Changing just one thing at a time will greatly improve your chances of success. I know you want to be able to do it all NOW, but really, did it work for you when you tried that last time? Be gentle on yourself and take one step at a time.
Accept that you will fail sometimes. This one is where the magic happens. Failure is a part of change and success. If you’re not failing, your not learning. It’s not about throwing the towel in when you fall, it’s about wiping the sweat from your face with that towel and getting back up and trying again.

So, if the first try at your health and fitness goals didn’t quite work out. Don’t give up and change your goal. Just perhaps try a different approach.

New Year New You!! 30 Day Juice Cleanse! 28 Days to a Healthy Body! 4 Week Fat Burning Meal Plan! How to lose weight Fast!!

16 July 20256 January 2016 by webadmin

As we all fire up to reach all of our new years resolutions please be careful of clever marketing and quick unrealistic plans designed to get you to buy a 30day fat loss product that promises the world and guess what it’s EASY!! HA!

I just want to highlight that fat loss or taking on a new healthy life takes longer than 30days or 8 weeks or what ever time frame promised. It takes a lifetime. It takes a conscious decision to change for the better, for a higher purpose than to look good, but for the pure reason that you are sick of staying where you are and feeling like you currently do.

You are tired of feeling tired, you don’t sleep well, you don’t feel happy, you get increased anxiety, increased health problems, muscle and joint pain, you’ve lost CONFIDENCE. That is the number one reason most people sign up for our health coaching programs, believe it or not it’s CONFIDENCE. They might start off saying it’s fat loss but in the first 10 minutes of a consultation i guarantee the underlying reason is to gain confidence. You used to feel happy, in control and feel good to wear what ever you want and do what ever you want. Then over time life took over, or kids or your job, whatever it was but you lost control of your life and choices.

All of the above things were created over time and they will take time to undo. Sure doing 30days you may feel better for that time and possibly even lose a little size around the middle, but what happens after the 30days? Can you keep it up? If it’s a juice cleanse or shake diet i guarantee you are dangerously cutting your food intake and once you begin to eat again you will gain even more weight than you began with. More about this in another article. And before i get people arguing with me on juice cleanses and their benefits, i do agree some of them are great for liver cleansing or other health reasons IF completed with a nutritionist but for fat loss, no definitely not.

Following a strict 30day plan will not teach you to make educated choices in the future. You may be able to be told what to eat when for a few weeks but you want to be able to make choices for yourself in the future. Learn about what works for you and why it works.

To assist you in making the right decisions this year and in starting 2016 right, one of the best things that you can do is INVEST IN YOURSELF. Hire a trainer and health coach who already leads the healthy happy life that you want to achieve. Or that offers a plan that you can stick to. Interview THEM. Ask them how they would train you, what nutrition guidelines they offer, where they can train you and what available times they have. If you’re a busy mum of 4 kids and the trainer only offers you a one hour session at school drop off time with a chicken, broccoli and brown rice nutrition plan, then thats probably not going to work for you LONG TERM. Oh but i’ll lose weight fast right? Maybe, but what happens after your kids go back to school and you need to prepare healthy meals for the whole family at night? You’re not going to be able to keep it up and then it will take you right back to your starting point.

If you think you can’t afford a trainer, just ask us. We have many options available for every budget. From $10 group training up to one hour private sessions. Not in our area? We offer online services too. 🙂

Still want to go it alone? I highly recommend buying a book written by Paul Chek called “How To Eat, Move and Be Healthy.” I call it my bible and refer to it often. Paul Chek is a very well known Holistic Practitioner who i have completed many advanced courses with. Order it online and i guarantee it will be much wiser investment than the 30day cleanse that keeps popping up on facebook.

So in conclusion please don’t fall for the skinny mint tea adds that keep popping up on facebook or the “One Size Fits All Plan” sold and promoted by the 20year old girl who takes photos of her abs to sell her programs. These are just marketing tools designed to prey on you and get you to sign up to a plan that they know you and millions of others won’t stick to. 80% of people who start a health program won’t finish it. Don’t let that be YOU.

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Nourishing in your 40’s

Cold plunging is a stress on the system…..

Getting up at 5am to test your body by jumping into a cold plunge maybe great for men, not so much for women..

If you need to do a cold plunge go ahead do a cold plunge or cold showers are fantastic as well. You don’t have to jump in ice to get a response from the body.

‘Recovery is just as important as training’

Remember when we add more training, we need to add more recovery, walking, stretching, mag baths.

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What is sick fit?

Health and fitness is:

Listen to the whispers or you will be forced to hear the screams.

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