Let me introduce you to the lovely Leonie. The evening crew know Leonie as the bubbly, funny, upbeat & hilarious Blitzfitter who’s always got a smile on her face and makes the sessions nothing short of entertaining….even when she’s burpee-ing (is that even a word??)! There’s never a dull moment with Leonie and we can't get enough of her enthusiasm! But I bet you didn’t know this fascinating fact about her…. Leonie actually was part of a boot camp in the UK for a few years. OK so before I go on, what springs to mind when you think about the UK – it’s cold, grey, rainy, drizzly, miserable sometimes, snowy, sleety and can be absolutely freezing!!!! But you know what? She still consistently did OUTDOOR boot camps while she was there….. out in the elements….with a MILITARY fitness group……run by a guy called Jason who called himself THE GLADIATOR….. She trained outdoors when the warmest was 3 degrees during the day and 0 degress (or lower!) by the time she trained at 6pm. And it got me thinking – this would be normal for people in the UK. They'd probably accept that they live in a colder environment and understand why they can’t let the weather determine whether or not they stay fit and healthy. They just get on with it. But how do you train in such cold conditions? HOW? It’s so cold! Can you imagine doing tiger crawls in the snow? We complain when there’s a light shower & tiger crawling on the wet grass making our hands get a bit dirty! leonie's #1 hot tipSo as she’s the expert in cold weather training, we asked Leonie for her number one hot tip on training in the cold so that we – here in cushy Brisbane, where it doesn’t get colder than about 5 degrees in winter - can learn to embrace the weather and not let it stand in our way to reaching our fitness goals. Leonie says: “My top tip for training in the cold - learning the art of layering. I used to wear a singlet, t-shirt, a long sleeve shirt and thick leggings. When it got really cold (below zero, I think minus 6 was the coldest) it was also two pairs of socks, gloves, jumper and a beanie. And we used to run around a lot!!! There was no luxury of towels and lights either, it was running through the park, doing exercises wherever you stop and by whatever light was in the park. Then when we finished, we’d put on our jumpers back and a very warm jacket straight away - then heaters full blast in the car but that was to get rid of the ice sometimes starting to form on the windscreen!!! We would train, rain, hail, sunshine or snow!!!” leonie's most memorable boot camp storySo we asked Leonie what was one of her most memorable stories about boot camping in the UK?
Leonie says: “My most memorable training session in the cold was when it snowed during the day so by the time I got to training, it was all nicely white, cold and in some areas a bit slippery. It was a lot of fun trying to complete the exercises required and not fall over and injure yourself!! And floor work like sit-ups was not off limits either!! Also because it was winter, the council park I used to train in closed it gates before we finished so we would have to then find a place to jump over the fence to get out.” So compared to Leonie’s experiences in the UK, you’ve got to admit that we’ve got it pretty good here in Brissy. Even when we’re at winter’s coldest. So I guess the thing to remember now that the weather is cooling down is – dress for the season. In summer, you wouldn’t rock up to boot camp in a scarf, jumper and beanie, just like in winter you’re not going to rock up in shorts and a light singlet. It’s all about dressing for the season and in winter, it’s all about layering!! Treat yourself to some new winter training gear. And as you warm up, rip off one layer at a time. Dress for the season and don’t let a drop in temperature stop you from following your dreams! And as Leonie says “when I think it is cold here, I just remind myself that it really is like a UK summer!!!” Remember, it’s only cold if you’re standing still! What's your hot tip for staying active over winter? Comment below!
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We’ve all been there – you’ve had a few weeks off training and the thought of coming back to boot camp is just too hard. You’ve lost your spark, you’ve lost your motivation and all you can think of is reasons to avoid training. Then the logical part of your brain kicks in and you know deep down that as soon as you get there, you’ll feel a million bucks, you’ll actually love it, you’ll laugh your butt off and you know it will set you up the right way for the rest of your day. But still, you can’t seem to get yourself there. And the more you put it off, the harder it becomes. So how do you make a return to boot camp after you’ve had a few weeks off? Or maybe a few months, or longer? I get this question all the time and in general, most members tell me they feel a little anxious coming back to a session after having some time off. The most common reasons are that they feel they’ve lost ALL their fitness, they’re worried they won’t be able to keep up like they used to, that others in the group will notice how much they’ve gone backwards or that they’ve put on weight and feeling self-conscious. I know what it’s like, I’ve been there too. We all have. And it is daunting coming back to your first session. But the thing to remember is that firstly, all these beliefs and doubts about yourself are purely psychological. Yep – sometimes that little voice inside your head can get in the way of progress. So you’re feeling a bit anxious right? Well here’s the kicker. By changing your mindset, you can convert that anxiousness into excitement and motivation. Whaaaa?? OK let’s take out the fluff. Anxiety and excitement are determined by your interpretation of the event (these emotions are produced by the same chemical in the brain). So it’s how you look at a situation & interpret it that determines whether you deal with it anxiously or excitedly. In other words, you have the power to change how you feel – you are in control. Cool huh! All you have to do is think of the positives and benefits of training rather than dwelling on the negatives. Secondly, maybe you have lost a bit of fitness. But your body will bounce back (it’s pretty amazing in that way). Yeah it might take a few weeks, but the time will pass anyway right? So you may as well be using that time to chip away at building up your fitness again – at your own pace. So I’ve put together a few tips on how to make the transition back to boot camp a fun one!!! TIP 1 – BOOK IT IN Make an appointment with yourself (yep, put it in your calendars!) to book in 2 boot camps during the week that you promise yourself you’ll get to. Only pick 2 x sessions which you know you’ll be able to make. Don’t book in anything else that might overlap with this appointment – think of your training as a priority and a non-negotiable, non-movable appointment. So only pick 2 x sessions to start with - don’t go overboard here and try to start back with EVERY single class. Because chances are, you won’t make all the sessions. And when you don’t get to every session like you wanted to, you’ll probably feel disheartened or guilty for not following-through and you’ll possibly even chuck in the towel and tell yourself you’ll ‘start again next week’….and the cycle continues. Plus you want to avoid this “all-or-nothing” mindset, you want to make your comeback a safe one and start to create that habit again where you can consistently make training part of your lifestyle. TIP 2 – GENTLE EXERCISE ON NON-BOOT CAMP DAYS On 3 x NON-boot camp days, go for a gentle walk. If you only have 10 minutes spare one day, then go for a brisk 10 minute walk. If you have 30 mins spare, try alternating your walking pace with a brisk walk for the first 10 minutes, then a gentle walk for next 10 minutes and back to a brisk walk for the final 10 minutes. (Remember to warm up first, and stretch & cool down at the end.) You can even alternate one or two of these days with doing some of our 5-minute home workouts from our Member's Treasure Chest website. TIP 3 - 70% RULE AT BOOT CAMP Keep your effort levels to no more than 70% RPE at boot camp sessions. (RPE is rate of perceived exertion). Don’t work at your 100% effort level on your first week back. Drop it back to around 70% effort – you should be able to talk in sentences at this level. TIP 4 - TAKE LOTS OF REST BREAKS It’s absolutely one thousand percent ok to take more rest breaks than you used to. You need to build up your fitness gradually and this means taking as many breaks as you need. Over time these rest breaks will get shorter and shorter as your fitness increases, but ýou need to give your body enough time to build this fitness back up again. TIP 5 - LOW IMPACT AND BEGINNER OPTIONS Stick to the lower impact options and allow yourself to do the beginner options. Do squats instead of squat jumps. Do push ups from your knees instead of toes. Do walk-out or kick-out burpees instead of chest-to-ground. You get the idea. Going out too hard on your first week will be really tough and will only make you feel like you can’t complete the session. You want to finish each session feeling amazing, like you just nailed a great workout and you want to still have a bit left in the tank at the end. Follow these tips for the first 2-5 weeks then gradually start to increase your boot camp sessions to 3-4 per week, gradually introduce the high impact options again and before you know it, you’ll be back in the swing of things, full steam ahead. But most of all, have some fun!!! We’re super lucky to have such amazing members in our group who encourage each other and make each session so much more than just a workout. So what are you waiting for? Get your gear ready, lock in those sessions and we’ll see you at training kicking goals! You’re busy. And you’re busy ALL the time. I get it. I really do! You’ve got meetings, phone calls to make, errands to run, kids to pick up, washing to do…. The list goes on. But I have the solution for you. If you're short on time, then the answer is to do short bursts of exercise with high intensity. Get your heart rate up and make the most out of the short time you have. So! I’ve designed 3 x workouts for all you busy bees which you can do in less than 5 minutes. No equipment needed. 1. HIGH INTENSITY / CARDIO WORKOUT 5 x burpees with push ups 10 x star jumps 15 x squat jumps 20 x high knees on the spot 50 x mountain climbers Rest for 1-2 mins then repeat 3-5 times 2. TABATA TIME Tabata workouts can be done with ANY exercise – you perform the exercise for 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. Repeat 8 x times (4 mins). You’ll get the best out of this workout if you pick one exercise to do for the entire 8 x rounds. Or you can mix it up like this: Round 1: push ups Round 2: squats Round 3: push ups Round 4: squats etc…. 3. ABS AND CORE 12 x flutters 12 x caterpillar walk-outs 12 x Russian twists 12 x aeroplanes 12 x plank hold & knee to chest Rest for 30-60 seconds and repeat 3-5 times Remember to warm up first and stretch and cool down at the end. Before you begin any exercise program, please see your Doctor for a medical check-up. Enjoy the workouts! Let me know how you found them and as always, if you have any questions about anything health & fitness related, yell out! Kath |
kath gOwner, Personal Trainer and Boot Camps Coach ArchivesCategories |