Body & Balance Holistic Fitness

EXERCISE , ILLNESS AND RECOVERY

2011-04-11T11:06:00.000+10:00

Approaching the colder season means winter illnesses occurring and the question being asked is “Should I exercise when I am sick?” and/or “How long after an illness should I begin exercising?”

I answer this according to the person, their fitness level, how long they have they been exercising before the illness and how many times per week they currently exercise and naturally what is the illness.

The main area of concern is how exercise would affect the health of the person e.g would the symptoms worsen and other complications arise or would exercising in fact delay recovery. Strenuous exercise might make the symptoms worse and even increase the severity of the illness.

There is a general rule of thumb that can be the guide and that is; if the symptoms are above the neck such as a head cold, runny, stuffy nose or sore throat then it is considered O.K to exercise moderately. It is not the time to begin an exercise program if the person is unfit, but a person who is regularly exercising at an average of 3 sessions per week could safely continue moderate activity if there is no fever. Moderate is definitely to be moderate such as walking rather than running and low impact rather than high impact. The often held view that exercise can help beat a cold has no medical support. In fact ignoring symptoms and training hard can sometimes make the symptoms worse. On the other hand moderate exercise can help relieve the nasal congestion of a cold expelling mucous and boosting immunity by increasing circulation which can move the disease fighting cells more quickly around the body. It is important to listen to your body.

If there is a fever or chest congestion and joint or muscle soreness, vomiting, diarrhoea or swollen glands it is more than likely that it is much worse than a cold. Exercising is definitely not recommended until these symptoms subside and the fever has gone. Rest is important.

The other factor to consider also if a person has an infection and is required to play a team sport that the muscular/skeletal performance can be impaired and for example a player has a gastrointestinal infection then fluid intake would be impaired and this can stress the circulatory system and effect endurance, which also means that the whole team’s performance could be affected as well as passing on the infection to other team members.

Once you have recovered from an infection or illness such as a cold or fever it is best to ease slowly back into exercise rather then trying to make up for lost time. It can happen that if exercising after an illness is too intense then the illness could reoccur, as the immune system cannot cope with the demands that exercising puts on the body.

Start back slowly and gradually increase the intensity until you are feeling strong again.

Listening to your body, training regularly and enjoying your training without overtraining, especially when you are unwell is the key to a successful training program and keeping yourself fit and healthy.

Jill Healy-Quintard

Body and Balance

Preparing for the Ski Season

2011-04-06T16:45:00.000+10:00

As Winter is not too far away now is the time to prepare your self for popular Winter pastimes; Skiing and Snowboarding

Becoming fitter before you go will insure that you will have a much better snow holiday, less chance of injury and therefore more fun.

The first step in the preparation is to begin your ski specific fitness program at least 6 weeks before you go.

Skiing makes a person very imbalanced as the back and legs become very strong but the chest muscles become weak and the shoulders become rounded, so if you train at strengthening the weaker muscles then they won’t become injured while skiing.

Pilates and general aerobic conditioning at a moderate intensity is a great way to start.

Pilates is important as it builds up core strength and focuses on balance, flowing movement, centering, alignment, mind/body focus, breathing and posture which all helps the participant to focus and understand the way their body moves. Skiing entails a great degree of lateral side to side hip movement to use both the outside and inside of the ski and snow boarders use a lot of forward and back hip movement and rotational movement to change direction of the board. Building core abdominal strength with specific Pilates exercises will improve balance, control and agility.

Pilates Exercises for Ski Conditioning;

Spinal Roll Downs and Thoracic Twists are excellent for strengthening and flexibility of the spine and a great warm up for the spine.
Switching core muscles on from your pelvic floor to navel, using imagery such as a wide, tight belt, zipping up a tight pair of jeans all the way to the waist line while drawing in your abdominal muscles.
Keeping abdominals switched on using the breath. Breath in imagine the belt tightening to number 5 hole of a 10 hole belt and then try and do your workout at that strength, breathing in and out tightening and loosening the muscles and being aware of engaging the deep abdominals.
The other very important requirement is strong quadriceps or thigh muscles. Placing your back against a wall and sliding down until you are in a semi sitting position and hold for 10 breaths in and out while keeping your core muscles switched on. These are the largest muscles in the body and will aid you with the endurance that skiing and snow boarding requires.

There are very many Pilates exercises to develop core strength, body conditioning, agility, alignment etc and enrolling in a Pilates class or engaging a Pilates Personal Trainer would be of great benefit to your ski/snowboarding holiday.

Commencing a fast paced walking program will be of benefit for your aerobic conditioning. Maintaining a heart rate of 120-130 beats per minute while walking for 30 minutes continuously is a good start. Make sure that you check with your Medical Practitioner before beginning any exercise program.

Vitamin and Mineral Supplements

When you begin to feel tired and sore after along day skiing a warm bath or massage is recommended. Bio magnesium is a great supplement to take to help relieve muscles aches and pains.

Jill Healy-Quintard

www.bodyandbalance.com.au

5 Tips for Maintaining Your Losses

2011-04-06T16:39:00.002+10:00

Once we have begun a Fitness Program we then need to look at how do we maintain our motivation and fat losses and fitness gains.

(1) Learn the Techniques for maintaining weight loss;

Those who develop a lifetime habit of exercise manage to maintain their fat loss better according to Dr Tim Wadden from the University of Pennsylvania.

Most successful weight/fat loss maintainers don’t count calories but develop a personal eating plan, exercise regularly and closely monitor their weight and food intake. The best long term maintainers are those who also have a well developed means of coping with stress, so to prevent patterns of over or under eating.

(2) Don’t do anything that can’t be maintained for a lifetime.

Long term weight loss means making changes that are liveable. It is not feasible to stay on a diet for life, which is why diets generally do not work. Nor is it feasible that someone who enjoys a drink of wine will stop for the rest of their lives.

Some changes may take a while to adapt usually 2 weeks, but if you can see yourself happy to maintain the changes for life then this can be realistic, such as reducing fat intake. You will then find that you feel better and it becomes a way of life. If you cannot see yourself maintaining this then try something else.

(3) Appreciate if you are not gaining then you are winning.

Any loss of weight is accompanied by adjustments, which can make further losses more difficult. Natural decreases in body weight do not happen in a linear fashion, but in a series of plateaus. The main thing is to recognise that when you are on a plateau that you are still winning. Only when you start to gain are you losing the battle.

(4) Reduce your Efficiency

Continuing weight loss beyond a certain point is unhealthy. Your body adapts to stop you disappearing. It does this by becoming more efficient at what you have given it to do. Strangely you need to become less efficient again to burn more energy. Changing type, duration or intensity of an exercise or changing the type of food you eat can help do this. If you’ve hit a fat loss plateau, or are about to, becoming less efficient could be just what you need.

(5) Redefine Success

Short term weight loss shouldn’t be a measure of success as it is usually short lived. Other factors on a long term weight loss program should be defined as success markers such as better well being generally, maybe decrease in medication, improved quality of life, greater feelings of energy during the day and less tiredness. When these are used as signals of success there is less concern to actual weight loss. This can have the paradoxical effect of leading to a greater weight loss overall.

Jill Healy-Quintard

www.bodyandbalance.com.au

Body and Balance Pilates and Fitness FAQ

2011-04-06T16:31:00.000+10:00

Q(1) I have put on weight over Winter. Will I lose weight doing Pilates?

I am often asked this question and my honest answer is not with a Basic Pilates class. There are some Pilates instructors that will tell clients otherwise, but it is a fact that weight loss does not occur without some aerobic activity. My Aerobic/Pilates Fusion classes and Dance Pilates do have a definite aerobic component, but a basic Pilates class does not. The positive side of a Pilates class is that it does change the shape of your body and improve your posture and body awareness. Clients often tell me that the mind/body connection makes them feel more confident, more in tune with themselves, they sleep better, have less tension, look stronger and so on and this all adds up to a whole new you. I always advise my clients to cross train e.g a fast paced walk for 30 minutes three times per week, swim or do a weight program and to use the Pilates philosophy with every thing they do to help strengthen and tone the mind and the body, but the best is to take the Body and Balance Aerobic/Pilates Fusion® and the participant will be able to get the most from this Pilates class such as weight loss with the aerobics and the strength, flexibility, flowing ,movement and so on of Pilates.

Q(2) I am a very fitness orientated male of 28 years old. I run, play soccer, surf and do weights. How could Pilates be of benefit to me?

I know immediately without seeing you that you would have excellent muscle tone, you would be aerobically fit, be strong but not particularly flexible or aware of core body strength. Pilates would improve all aspects of your fitness performance by helping you to work from your core or centre (abdominal region) Pilates would give you more body awareness, help you to focus on each activity and what your body is doing. I have worked with people in all sports as a Personal Trainer and have found Pilates to be the one form of exercise that can maximize your fitness/sport performance.

Q(3) My 13 year old daughter has very bad posture and is starting to develop scoliosis. How can Pilates help her as she is growing very fast?

It is well known that girls growing rapidly at the onset of puberty can develop scoliosis. It will need managing through chiropractic treatment or physiotherapy, as well as a regular Pilates program to complement her treatment. I work closely with local practitioners and design small classes so that I can be always aware of the needs of each of my clients. I have an increasing amount of young class participants who are finding that their academic work means sitting for long hours thus developing bad postural habits and spinal changes. Pilates will help correct bad posture and give your daughter more body awareness.

Q(4) My husband and I are pensioners in our 70,s. We have always been active and have heard that Pilates will help us to continue to be active. Is this true?

Absolutely true. Pilates is suitable for all ages and fitness levels. You will need to join a Beginners class at first and then work your way into a more challenging class, as you learn the Pilates movements and philosophy. I have a number of pensioners your age and older that have been coming to my classes for the last few years and have found that they have returned to activities they had thought they were unable to do anymore. I have one class participant who has returned to Ballroom Dancing at 86 years of age and praises Pilates for making her more flexible and strengthening her body and her mind.

Q(5) Is Pilates the same as Yoga?

They are not the same, but do offer some similarities. They each go to the same destination which is strengthening the body and the mind. They are both considered intelligent exercise as they are self empowering and require listening to and trusting your own body. They both require movement, focus, control, breathing and mind/body conditioning. They can complement each other beautifully. I do teach Yoga/Pilates classes at various locations. There are many different Yoga practices and many different learning experiences Pilates instructors bring to their practice.

Q(6) I am pregnant, can I do Pilates?

Absolutely. It is fabulous exercise for both pre and post-natal pregnancy. I run Body and Balance Pre-Natal classes and there are specific exercises that I would recommend for certain stages of the pregnancy e.g it is unwise to do any of the abdominal work before 14 weeks. Ensure that you always do Pilates with a qualified and experienced instructor and that you are shown the correct exercises for the different stages of pregnancy. After your baby is born and you have had your 6 weeks check up I then recommend that you begin a Pilates program again to restore your abdominal strength, help to regain your pre baby body and maintain strength and flexibility to help you deal with the daily baby routine. Body and Balance Baby and Me classes would be a suitable class to start.

Jill Healy-Quintard

www.bodyandbalance.com.au

SUMMER FITNESS

2011-04-06T16:25:00.000+10:00

Sunshine, golden sands, cool blue seas, long Summer evenings and ... “Oh no I am so unfit"and... “I haven’t done any exercise for so long.” and... “I can’t fit into last years swim suit" and... “I know it’s too late to start now” and... and... and...

“No it’s not too late to dust off the Winter hibernation and begin your ‘get fit for Summer’ program.” Says Jill Healy-Quintard, our Fitness Consultant.

“Pushing yourself into a heavy going Fitness Regime in the heat is not a good idea, but there are many options available to help you on your way to fitness and health this Summer.” Jill went on to say.

Motivating your self by far is the most difficult part of any exercise program, but remember once you start then it is well known that it takes a little as 10 days to start feeling the benefits and also to begin to develop the habit of exercise. In fact after one month of exercise there can be a withdrawal effect if the exercise suddenly ceases, so getting yourself started is the first step to your Summer Fitness.

As the days become longer and warmer
walking is an enjoyable, inexpensive and relatively easy way to begin a fitness program. Walking with a friend or taking the dog for a walk for extra motivation is even better. Make sure that you wear good walking shoes and dress comfortably, carry water to remain hydrated and if in sunlight that sun screen is applied. If you do decide to walk alone make sure that you have informed someone of your whereabouts, although taking a friend is by far the most motivating.

Begin with a moderate to brisk walk for 30 minutes, 3 times per week. Once you have begun to feel the benefits you can increase your pace, distance and times. You will also find added benefits such as your senses being heightened by the sound, sights, smells and textures of the outdoors and that the chemicals and hormones that are released in the brain through exercise help combat stress and promote happiness.

If walking is too slow try to build up to
jogging. A good measurement of jogging successfully for your health is still being able to hold a conversation but finding that it is a little more difficult than it was when walking. Jogging will build the aerobic fitness level faster and will burn more calories than walking but is more stressful on the joints of the body.

Swimming is another enjoyable, generally inexpensive and easily accessible exercise that will tone the body as well as building aerobic fitness and burn fat by working major muscle groups. Ocean swims are harder than pool swims but both are low impact on the body and less stress on the joints as the water supports your weight.

Cycling is a great cardiovascular exercise that can be done on a stationary cycle or outdoors. Plenty of sunscreen, cooling clothing and safe cycle tracks is important if choosing the Summer outdoors to cycle. It is a great exercise for people with bone or joint problems as weight is supported by the bike and can be done at your own pace.

Dance classes or Group Fitness classes is also a great motivating way to get your fitness regime on the move. If the option of joining a gym is not available some local community centers and some dance schools offer classes in Salsa, Aerobic Fitness, Power Pilates or Yoga and more on a casual basis. Putting on some fast paced music and dancing while you are cleaning the house can burn off many calories and make you feel full of life and energy, least to say moving through the housework much quicker.

Pilates and Yoga are of great fitness benefit and are available to do at home through DVD’s, classes at local community centres and halls as well as Yoga Centres and Gyms. Core strength and muscle awareness as well as flowing movement, centering, balancing and breath awareness is the foundation of Pilates and can be done at beginners to advanced levels depending on your fitness level. Yoga uses Asanas or postures to unify mind, body and spirit. They are both very beneficial for people with conditions such as back problems, asthma, arthritis and stress and can also be done at a pace to suit the individual and will help flexibility and strength.

Weight Training is also beneficial to overall fitness but as it is not a cardiovascular form of fitness then it is best done as part of a cross training program, such as walking/jogging and Pilates/Yoga. It does involve equipment such as weights and bars which may not be a viable option.

I have a female friend who is doing a light weight program at the moment along with running and stretching and uses baked bean cans or water bottles for weights, runs outdoors and swims at the beach and stretches at home and is covering every muscle group as well as aerobic fitness and feels wonderful. It is not so difficult, it is just getting started that is the hard part. Remember 10 days and you will begin to feel the wonderful benefits of a fitter, healthier you.

By Jill Healy-Quintard

www.bodyandbalance.com.au

Boost Your Metabolism With Pilates

2011-04-06T15:37:00.000+10:00

Here body & soul takes a look at Pilates - a great way to boost your metabolic rate.

We all know exercise can increase your basal metabolic rate. Pilates works deeply to stimulate all the systems and organs of the body, aiding in the elimination of toxins and waste at the same time as stimulating blood and oxygen circulation.

Less toxins and better circulation make the metabolism more efficient. Doing Pilates exercises on a mat at a decent pace is an excellent metabolism booster.

A basic hamstring pull is an essential part of a Pilates mat class and, if done at a fast but controlled pace, it can also boost your metabolism.

Lie on your back with your abdominal muscles contracted, your head and neck off the ground and your chest lifted. Reach one leg up to the ceiling and hold it with both hands behind the calf. Gently pull the leg towards you and deepen your abdominal contraction. Inhale to change legs and repeat. Alternate legs, with a pulse on each exhale, for 10 to 20 repetitions, at a pace you can control.

Dot it now and do it for you!!!!!

2011-04-06T15:03:00.000+10:00

We are constantly bombarded with eg “Fergie “there is no secret to my slimdown, I get Diet Designs delivered everyday (as stated in Who magazine dated April 12^th, 2011) and have a ‘green smoothie’, a personal trainer and I also have vinegar shots everyday......”.

This is called not doing it for your self.......’Doing it for yourself’ is challenging and self satisfying in so many ways and will give you the personal boost that is “I KNEW I COULD DO IT.” So do it now and do it for you, nobody else. I say it is not rocket science, it is plain and simple, move your body according to you calorie intake. If you put more calories in then you are moving out then where do they go???? Around your abdomen, on your thighs, on your arms, on your hips, but if you eat good nutritious metabolism burning foods (see recipes further on) and you do exercise ( see video) that also stimulates your metabolism then you can enjoy a life of good food, some indulgences and still keep fit and healthy. Dot it now and do it for you!!!!!

Jill Healy-Quintard