Are you at Risk of being a Diabetes sufferer? This is a big question and Diabetes Australia has developed a 10 step question to help you understand your level of risk.

Diabetes is a killer and it gains 280 new members every day. That’s a new diagnosis every 5 minutes. Currently over 1,000,000 Australians have Diabetes and an estimated 2 million Australians are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes and are already showing early signs of the condition.

How does diabetes affect the body?

Diabetes is serious

Why is diabetes increasing?

Symptoms

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RIP60 is an exciting new style of exercise, creating an all over body transformation experience, largely without anything but the RIP60 bands and my own body weight.

I can perform all the usual strength exercises like Chest press, flat flies, bicep curls, tricep extensions, squats, etc with the added benefit of being able to combine many exercises for a compound exercise experience.

The 8 week program is suggested by the RIP60 creator and is designed to transform weak and tight muscles into a streamlined machine.

I’ll be reporting weekly on my progress right here in this blog article. The sorts of effective change I will be measuring includes:

Weight, fat%, muscle growth, visual changes.

Join with me as I take this journey. I’m hoping it will be fun, tough and above all an affirmation that this new style of exercise can get the results the suppliers say it will.

The post My 8 Week RIP60 Transformation Challenge appeared first on Ageless Force Fitness.

Why would any of us want to lump ourselves which such a degenerative disease? What do we get in return for a dedicated life of overeating and under exercising? PAIN! and lots of it.

Hardship –

Let’s be frank. Obesity is not cool, it’s not attractive and it’s not necessary. We have the best food in the world, we have the best of education, we have the best exercise facilities and we have the time to manage our input and what we are putting in our mouths. The rules of the game are simple enough. Put an amount in that you reasonably expect to use up in the course of your daily activities. So long as there’s a balance of in and out you’ll have your weight under control and be much more likely to enjoy your self a whole lot more.

Hardship comes from within and also outside. Obesity makes it hard for you to be proud of yourself, the way you look compared to people who are slimmer is a constant cause of concern and it gets to you, so why put up with it when there is an alternative. Life is difficult enough, without putting preventable pressure on yourself. You also know that other people look at you and are either dismayed or attempt to get a laugh at your expense.

Immobility –

For me one of the big no-no’s of obesity. The inability to get around as freely and as effortlessly or as quickly as someone half your size is no fun.

Doctor visits –

Who really enjoys going to the doctor and if you’re obese the reason you’re there will be to either check on your heart, your joints, diabetes or a pill top up for some other disease that can easily be attributed to your obesity.

Excuses –

I don’t know about you but I hate making excuses and if I have start making them because I’m masking the weight I’ve put on I really am on a very slippery slope.

There is a better way. We’ve all seen shows like the Biggest Loser and whilst we may not agree with their tactics or inducements, we would have to be motivated by the contestants life changing efforts. If they can do it so can you. There is help and it’s not too far away, you just have to be open and ready to accept that there is another way.

Reach out to friends, family and others who have had success in getting their weight problem back under control. There are so many things waiting for you to experience if you get back your mobility, energy and zest for life. The Ageless Force community is also there to provide inspiration and support.

We’ve just learned that Jamie Oliver is attempting to make inroads into this epidemic and has started a movement via change.org. You too can help by supporting the petition that Jamie has created. You can sign it here.

The post Why are so many of us not scared of being obese? appeared first on Ageless Force Fitness.

I want to explore this as it appears that most people know very little and it’s such an important topic that spreading the news about it is a task we should all take on with gusto, determination and persistence.

The guidelines are pretty clear on providing a good balance of protein, fibre, carbs and fats and make it quite easy for us to adopt a healthier eating plan.

The guidelines are:

The table is all good but what does it mean in practical terms:

Women:

Men:

This sample meal plan is for a man aged 19-50 years of average height, healthy weight and light activity.

The above are samples only but give a very good indication of meal sizes. Unfortunately everyone seems to be busier these days and it’s not always possible to follow a strict meal plan, but your goal should be to concentrate on why the guidelines are worth following. It’s all about “your” health and your ability to enjoy every day without the fear of the dreaded “preventable disease”. Being overweight or obese is a recipe for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes II as well as heart disease. These diseases will either bring your life to a premature end or make your life miserable.

Do yourself and your family a big favour. Take a close look at these guidelines and give them a go. At the same time ask yourself whether you’re hitting your exercise target of at least 30 minutes a day. Stay tuned for some helpful words on that topic.

Let me know how you go, I and others who read my articles are always interested in how you are tackling the big issues of health and fitness.

The post How much do you know about the “Healthy Eating Guidelines”? appeared first on Ageless Force Fitness.

We’re all bombarded these days with a plethora of exercise and nutrition options but if we keep things simple and cost effective we can make changes that will stay with us for a life time, not a month here and a month there. Sure if you’re able to make it to a gym or a group exercise class on a regular basis then you don’t need to do anything through your normal work day, but for many it’s the only time they can fit in a spare 30 minutes.

I know what it’s like, you leave for work early in the morning and get home after dark and by that time the kids are winging, dinner has to be made as well as the myriad of other tasks just waiting for your tender (or….) care.

So back to the original idea, getting fit at the office. The great thing about this is that you need little or no equipment. In fact you can do a hard, fast, tough workout that will build muscle and work your heart and lungs with just a few stretchy bands or tubes. The whole workout equipment catalogue can be housed in your handbag or jacket pocket. Stretchy bands (also called therabands) or tubes are underrated in my opinion as they provide terrific resistance to help build muscle tissue and a pack won’t cost you more than $20.

The question of “Where do I do this workout”? always comes up as a reason not to do anything, so here’s a few suggestions:

• local park
• grassed area outside office
• office carpark
• spare executive office!
• spare meeting room
• lunch room
• board room!

The good news is you don’t need a lot of space as there’s no equipment to cart around, just a towel, drink bottle and the trusty stretchy band/tube.

Ok, so the workout you can do at the office. It’s also available via Youtube so you can just follow it on your phone. This is a 25 minute sharp, no rest workout that will significantly improve your fitness levels and give you an all over feeling of satisfaction.

4 minute warm up (each exercise x 40 seconds):

Star jumps, bum kicks, skipping (if you have a rope and enough room) or boxer jog, Windmills, High knees, wall push ups.

Program:

The above workout should take approximately 25 mins, leaving you about 5 mins for the cool down and stretch part of the program, which follows here.

Cool down (all by 30 seconds):

Back stretch, Back and arms, Neck, Shoulder, Quads, Hamstrings, Triceps, Glutes.

The post Get Fit at the Office with a 30 minute workout appeared first on Ageless Force Fitness.

How many times have we told ourselves that we’ll work harder at getting our fitness and therefore our health back on track. Most of us would be quite wealthy if we threw a dollar into a money tin each time.

If you’re now well into your thirties and still having these thoughts but not getting any further, you need to take a step back and think of all the things you hold dear and important. Then ask yourself the question “Can I still enjoy these things and will I be able to in 5, 10 or 20 years if I don’t do something about it right now, not tomorrow or the next day, or next week, or next year.

Health and fitness is a here and now priority and it should remain that way until you’re no longer on this earth.

So make a choice to start a fitness program, incorporate nutrition into it. Go back to basics if needs be, take tips from the Australian Healthy Eating Guide, plan an approach, start conservatively and gradually build up your habit to be something you do, every day.

Making each workout as good as it can be is your target and whilst not every workout will be as intense or provide you with the same level of satisfaction, your aim shouldn’t waiver. The right attitude is a big and important part of making exercise and healthy eating habits stick.

Instead of looking at exercise as a chore, look at each session as giving you back days, months or even years, with which you can engage in activities that you would otherwise be excluded from, for example playing with children or grand children, walking along the beach or a bush track, riding a bike, catching a wave, yelling from the top of a big hill. Our world is full of wonderful, beautiful, exciting places to be and it can be yours, if you get your health and fitness under control.

Your workout doesn’t have to be in a gym, or in a group exercise session, it can simply be a long brisk walk. A walking program, together with a focused eating plan will have you looking great and feeling better, with more energy and vitality. If you choose to walk then make the walk count. Include some hills, wear the right clothing that lets you stride out, suck in some fresh air, work up a sweat, beat your time. Whatever it takes to make it worthwhile, rewarding and stimulating, do it.

Statistically we’re overweight and obese but taking an approach, based on what I’ve suggested here can start to change those stats. Do you want to be part of the 63+% that is overweight or obese or do you want to inspire others to come under that figure? Come with me and give it a go. I want to share all the things I can do because I’m not one of the 63+% and I want you to be on that journey with me.

The post Work out like it’s your last appeared first on Ageless Force Fitness.

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So we need a program that will do the following:

• Make sure our heart and lungs stay healthy and ready for action
• Ensure our bones remain strong and stable
• Keep our weight under control

The first of the three is to make sure we work on our cardiovascular system, ie making sure we do enough exercise that will stimulate the heart and lungs into pumping more blood and oxygen around the body. We don’t want to get to a point where a 400M walk to the shops is a questionable activity. Having a healthy heart and lungs underpins all forms of exercise as it gives us the ability to apply more stress (good stress) to our joints and muscles, which in effect are doing the bulk of the work.

A cardio program therefore should be intense enough to get your heart rate up to around 60-80% of its maximum. For most people they won’t know what this is so in lay terms it’s when you are moderately sweating and just a little our of breath when talking.  Use this as a rough guide to knowing you’re on track. You need to be achieving this for about 30 mins a day for most days of the week but if that’s too hard to manage then aim for 3-4.

A strong cardiovascular system will more easily burn off unwanted fat and make your heart stronger. A strong heart pumps blood efficiently, which means muscles get more oxygen and will work more efficiently as well, which leads us into our second topic of exercise.

Strength or resistance training. Strength training builds muscles and provides a stronger support platform for the skeleton, which as you get older becomes critically important. But in fact it does a lot more than that. Strength training hones the body to look and feel great. How often have you gone to the beach or poolside, only to be jealous of the guy or girl that has a great looking body. Maybe you won’t even put your bathing costume on because you feel embarrassed. This is not unusual and if the stats are right it effects a very large percentage of our adult population. We may not want to admit it but for most of a healthy, demonstrable body is what we all seek.

Whilst strength training has captured the imagination for producing beef eating Neanderthals, it is a mandatory part of a well rounded fitness program and can be as effective in helping to lose weight as a cardio program (if losing weight is a part of what you need to so). Everybody remembers seeing participants on The Biggest Loser applying themselves in strength building activities. This is because it’s a necessary part of maintaining a healthy body. You don’t need to lift heavy weights but you do need to be lifting enough weight to stress the muscles into increasing their fibre size. A strength training program complements a cardio program in that it also helps to lower blood pressure, burn fat, prevent osteoporosis and lower stress on the heart.

Lastly our third topic is all about nutrition. If we only attempt to improve our cardio and strength, without feeding the body the correct nutritional input we’ll soon run out of steam and could potentially even become sick. A well balanced diet that is high in fibre, vitamins, minerals and  low in fat is going to give us the energy we need to undertake a moderate fitness program. I’ve been pushing the benefits of the latest Australian Healthy Eating guide for some time and for good reason. It cites a range of food types as well as quantities of each, that if followed will present us with all the nutritional balance we need to be able to go out and take up that 5Km walk or a run/swim/ride or gym workout.

Paying attention to our bodies is the single most important thing you can do throughout your long (and getting longer life). You want to be there for your kids and their kids. Being able to enjoy the things they do as an active participant will give you rewards beyond belief, so don’t delay get on track now.

If you need help drop me a line right here, or find me on Facebook. I’ve produced a number of exercise video’s on Youtube as well as providing a comprehensive on-line virtual gym experience, so hopefully there’s something here for you to associate with and make a start.

All the best with your lifestyle journey!

The post What sort of exercise training should you do? appeared first on Ageless Force Fitness.

This video is based in a park near where I live and highlights that there are many places located quite close to where you live, that can be used for getting some of that all important fresh air and exercise.

The accepted advice from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare is that we should all strive to achieve 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise, ie ensuring that we work up a bit of sweat and expand our heart and lungs.

The workout in the video is about 30 mins long and will certainly have you breathing harder and gaining some much needed cardiovascular benefits, together with adding strength to those muscles you need to keep your bones strong.

Enjoy the session and let me know what you think.

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This is a chance to visit some really interesting and picturesque locations, most within 20-30 mins drive.

The objective is participation and for those interested a little competition with some great prizes.

How it works:

Points will be awarded for participation in each Challenge event, with a prize presented to the overall winner at the final event of the year.

Bonus points will be awarded for health & fitness effort expended independently of the monthly challenge, for example, attendance at an Ageless Force (or other provider)Group or personal training session, attendance at a gym, your own fitness endeavour, creation of a healthy breakfast, lunch or dinner recipe (that will also be posted on the Ageless Force website and Facebook page).

Each monthly winner will be announced on the website and Facebook page and the Leaders board will be displayed on the Ageless Force on-line portal and published to Facebook monthly.

The series is designed to get us out and enjoying what our country delivers to us. Whilst the objective is about exercise it’s not about testing yourself against the elements. Getting Stronger, Fitter and Healthier is where my aim is. Everyone is a winner if they come along and get involved.

PRIZES:

At the end of the year the person awarded the most points will have a choice of two prizes –

Prize 1. A ten by 1 hour session pass of personal training

or

Prize 2. A 3 month Group Training session pass

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