On Friday 29th August, Team Fitta Bodies will participate in the Oxfam 100km Trailwalker, From Brooklyn to Mosman.

This walk is going to be intense to say the least. We estimate it will take us approximately 36 hours!

If you haven’t already sponsored us by now, you can do so by visiting

<http://www2.oxfam.org.au/trailwalker/sydney/team/158>

Remember, it is for a great charity.

To learn more about what Oxfam does for the community and abroad, browse the oxfam site whilst you are on there making a donation:)

Troy Shipsey

Fitta Bodies Personal Training

Group Training Centennial Park, Sydney

I will be away on Friday participating in the Oxfam 100km Trailwalker. Wish me luck!

To join our group training simply visit Group Training

More often than not these days, our shopping trolleys are filled with harmful chemicals which are doing us long term harm. I am always on the lookout for products that contain less or no chemicals and are good quality at the same time. There are a lot of products out there which claim to be healthy, but often fall short of expectations in quality.

I have found a few items in Coles or Woolworths, which means they are going to be reasonably priced and easily accessible.

Anti Perspirant

Anti perspirant is an item which should be avoided at all costs. It contains aluminium which is pore clogging and has been associated with cancer and aluminium. Most deodorants that don’t contain chemicals simply don’t work. In fact, I have tried some that actually gave me BO, believe it or not, I’m serious!

I have found a natural antiperspirant which seems to work. It is called “Freedom Body” and it is available from Coles on the health food section.

Dried Fruits

Almost all dried fruits contain a preservative 220-sulphur dioxide. It has been known to provoke gastric irritation, nausea, diarrhoea, skin rash, asthma attacks, destroys vitamin B1, is difficult to metabolise by people with kidney disfunction and should be avoided altogether by people suffering from conjunctivitis, bronchitis, emphysema or cardiovascular disease. So why is it in our food???

There are a few brands of  dried fruits out there without this or its partner preservatives(221 – 227) present.

You have to take the time to check the labels on the pack.

Toothpaste

Most toothpaste contains a petrochemical called sodium lauryl sulphate. This is what makes it foam. It is also in many other products such as shampoo, shower gel etc. I have found a toothpaste in the healthfood section of Coles called “Natural – Herbal and mineral toothpaste” There is also one on Woolworths called “Naytura” – it is the Woolworth’s own brand.

Washing powder

When we wash our clothes in chemicals, we then wear those clothes and have the chemicals in contact with our skin all day long. This may not seem important, but something that isn’t well know is that the skin is one of the best ways to get something into the blood stream. Think about nicotine patches etc.  So, I have found a wash powder that whilst it isn’t perfect, it is better than other choices. The brand is “Aware”. It has no fragrances, optical brighteners, petrochemicals or phosphates.

Remember, long term health is not just about food and exercise… But is does help  

Troy Shipsey

Fitta Bodies Personal Training

Group Training Centennial Park, Sydney

Two of the most common fitness advertisements are:

“Make your new years fitness resolutions now” End of December, start of January.

or

“Get in shape now for Summer” September, October, November.

Both of these statements are good because they encourage people to look after their health. But really, it is far more important to be healthy all year round!

One of the hardest times to stay fit, healthy and in general good shape is Winter.

Why is that?

Well let’s have a think about it…

*It’s cold in Winter, bed is far more appealing.

*It’s cold in Winter, comfort food dominates our diet.

*It’s cold in Winter, we wear so many layers, we forget what we look like under all those clothes.

*It’s cold in Winter, Summer is a long way away, which means bikinis and board shorts seem like forever away.

But then…..

The weather warms up, we see the ads.

Get in shape now for Summer!!! We freak out and decide to embark on a new and exciting diet and fitness regimen. Summer comes, we left our run too late, it now becomes a new years resolution, we try another fad diet and the next fitness regimen that will work better than the last…

Need I go on?

I think you get it.

This year, next year and every year after that, make a Winter’s resolution. Yes it’s a little colder, yes it’s a little darker out, but yes it is a necessary part of a healthy balanced life to be fit and healthy all year round!

Troy Shipsey

Fitta Bodies Personal Training

Group Training Camp Centennial Park, Sydney

To join our group training simply visit Group Training

Sometimes as time goes by, you can lose sight of why you started an exercise program in the first place. You think you still know, you tell yourself that when you get up and train once or twice a week, but then one day you stop and realise, hey, I was so motivated when I first started. I was training 5 days a week. I really wanted to get fit, I really wanted to lose those extra kilos, I really wanted to have more energy for life!

Well, have your goals changed? Probably not. What has changed, is your level of motivation.

So how do you get that motivation back?

Here is a video that was brought to my attention last week. If this guy cannot motivate you, then nothing can!

Awesome inspirational video

If you think it is hard to get out of bed because your tired, or it’s cold, or you hate getting wet, or you went out drinking last night, or any other little reason you think justifies not continuing to strive towards your goals. Have a thought for the young man in this video who says “there’s always someone worse off than yourself”.

Now that you have been motivated by that awesome video, I want you to consider this:

Motivation is an emotion and emotions change daily, if not more often. If you rely on motivation, you will never reach your goals!

When you have a goal, especially something as important as health and fitness, you need to work towards that goal, not do it when it suits you. And yes, health is the most important thing in life, whether you think it is or not, because without health, you have nothing….

Sorry to sound like a hard arse, but sometimes you need a kick up the bum to spark up the thoughts of your initial goals. Those goals that brought you to me in the first place….remember…..

Troy Shipsey

Fitta Bodies Personal Training

Centennial Park Outdoor Group Training Camp, Sydney 

Most of you are aware of my opinion on the TV show The Biggest Loser and are often puzzled by my views, so I would like to explain why I think this way. I will also show you a video from a well respected trainer who shares a similar view.

I think the show is a disgrace, for many reasons…

* It gives people false hope that this is how quickly you should be able to lose weight, when realistically this is near impossible in the real world.

* People of this size should be aiming to lose this excess weight over years. We are talking about 150kg-200kg individuals.

* It is so unhealthy! They take the most overweight, unhealthy, emotionally unstable specimens from society and punish their bodies and their minds severely;

• They are subjected to hours upon hours of exercise everyday, when they may never have exercised in their life before.
• They are nutritionally deprived.
• They are encouraged to eat junk food in order to win immunity to elimination.
• They send home the ones who don’t lose enough weight that week. Surely the ones who don’t lose enough weight are the ones who need to stay!
• The exercises they give them are so unsuitable for anybody of that weight.
• Their technique during exercise is horrible.
• They are subjected to the bitching, plotting against and ridiculing each other in order to form these “alliances” to stay in the show. Remember how emotionally unstable these individuals were already.

What always astounds me is when you see the contestants pouring their hearts in their audition tapes or on advertisements.

They all say the same thing: “I really want to lose the weight and I feel so bad about the way I look and feel, all I want to do is be healthy”.

But if this was true, they would make an effort to do it outside of a national television show.

What they really need to say is: “I want to be on TV and I want to win lots of money and I don’t care how badly I have to punish my body to get it”.

 Do you think it is healthy to see somebody break down and start crying mid way through an exercise session?

Imagine how you would feel if you were in their place.

So if you love watching the Biggest Loser because it really changes peoples lives. Think again!

 What they need is no different from what we all need:

• A healthy eating plan with plenty of fresh salads, vegetables and fruit. Lean organic protein and lot’s of filtered water
• Daily exercise suited to their weight and ability.
• 8 hours of quality sleep a night.
• No caffeine and limited alcohol.

 So that’s my opinion of Biggest Loser!

 Check out this video, it demonstrates what I am talking about.

“Origin of Energy” video about biggest loser

Troy Shipsey

Fitta Bodies Personal Training

Centennial Park Outdoor Group Training Camp, Sydney

In order to succeed, you must be your own motivator. You cannot rely on others to give you your motivation on a daily basis.

Here is a very simple example, but there are many variations to this.

Example of somebody who requires constant motivation: Somebody who turns up to training and just does what’s required.

Example of a self motivator: Somebody who turns up to training regularly and tries their hardest at everything.

Who do you think will get the best results?

Who do you think will have long term success?

You will notice something about a person who tries their hardest at everything: They improve!

You will notice something about a person who just does the minimum: They stay the same!

You should be trying your hardest even when nobody else is watching you.

Think of your trainer, as a guide. They provide the program and the guidance to get through that program.

How hard you try at the program provided is up to you.

You have to provide the intensity based on whether you really do want to succeed with your health and fitness goals or not.

Bottom line:

I want each and every person to succeed, but I cannot be over your shoulder barking at you to keep going or do more or run faster or eat healthier or have better technique. You have to want these things yourself for ultimate long term success.

Troy Shipsey

Fitta Bodies Personal Training

Centennial Park Outdoor Group Training, Sydney

A few weeks ago I was reading a mainstream fitness magazine which stated on the front cover “Revealed! The secrets to massive weight loss”, so I decided to have a read and this is what I found;

Inside the magazine was an article titled “Training Secrets for Massive Weight Loss” written by a famous ironman. I won’t name names, but there was a nice picture of him and a spiel that said he is a former world ironman champion and the winner of Celebrity Survivor.

The article was based around him currently training an overweight Australian singer…

Now wait for it, here are the secrets: 

The singer has given up junk food and soft drinks and replaced them with more protein, lean meats, fish, lots of fresh fruit and veggies and litres of water.

Her training is 2 to 5 kilometres of walking on most days, one resistance training session in the gym, one kick boxing session and one crosstraining session per week.

Well, there you have it, the secrets to massive weight loss!

My point here is, you don’t need the former world ironman champion to tell you there are no quick fixes, I’ve been telling you that for years. A healthy diet and sensible exercise and consistenly sticking to your program are the keys to a healthier body.

Did you consistenly stick to your regimen last week?

Troy Shipsey

Fitta Bodies Personal Training

Centennial Park Outdoor Group Training Camp, Sydney

Ideally we should be exercising 30 – 60 mins 6 days per week.
If you commit to 3 sessions per week, you have already halved the recommended amount.
If you miss one of those pre-planned sessions, you are now only doing one third of the recommended amount.
If, for some reason (work is too busy, the weather is horrible, you’re too lazy etc) you happen to miss another one of your pre-planned sessions, you are now only doing one sixth of your recommended sessions.

So what does this mean in the bigger picture?
There are 168 hours in a week. You should be sleeping for 56 hours of your week. So, of the remaining 112 hours in the week that you are awake, my recommendation is to be exercising a minimum 5.4% of the time. Not really much is it? Or is it? You might think it is. Most people obviously think it is, because they don’t even do that much. Maybe look at it this way, you are not exercising for 94.6% of the time.

If you commit to only 3 sessions per week, you are now only exercising 2.7% of your waking hours. Or, you are not exercising 97.3% of the time.
If you miss a session, you are exercising 1.8% of your waking hours, or you are dormant 98.2% of your waking hours.
If you miss two of your pre-planned session and you are still going to do your one session this week, you are now down to 0.89% of your waking hours exercising. Or, 99.11% of your waking hours not exercising.

Does this paint a little bit of a picture as to why we are a nation that is ever increasing in size?
Does it drive home how important it is not to miss your pre-planned sessions?
Does this make you realize how important it is to eat healthy food and not to eat more than your recommended calorie intake?
 
Here’s a quick quiz to fill in tonight after dinner:
1)How many hours have you sat down today?
2)How did you get to work today? a}walked  b}sat on a bus  c}sat on a train  d}sat in a car
3)What did you do on your lunch break? a}did a 45 minute exercise sessions b}went for a 45 minute walk  c} sat down and ate something healthy  d} sat down and ate something unhealthy
4)How did you get home from work today? a}walked  b}sat on a bus  c}sat on a train  d}sat in a car
5)What did you do when you got home today? a} did an exercise session b}went for a power walk  c}sat down in front of the tv/computer etc  
6)What are you doing right now? a}sitting down b} something other than sitting down

Now that you’ve filled it in, have a think about it. Work out how many hours you sit during your waking hours.
I don’t need to see your answers; this is just for you to think about.

Troy Shipsey

Fitta Bodies Personal Training

Centennial Park Outdoor Group Training Camp, Sydney