Incorporate exercise/ activity into every day.
• Walk or ride a bike to the shops instead of driving.
• Swap a stroll around the block for a brisk walk around the block.
• Meet up with friends for a walk instead of coffee.
• Walk your kids to school or the bus stop instead of driving.
• Hop off public transport a few stops earlier instead of at the front door.  

Repetition, persistence and consistency get results.
• Mark your training times in your diary as you would a regular appointment.
• Find a time in the day to exercise that is less likely to be de-railed, if mornings are too hectic or if your partner is often working late there will probably be more chances for excuses than exercise.
• If you miss a few training sessions don't despair; re-group, re-focus and get back into it.

Training improves muscle strength and fitness.
• What better motivation than feeling stronger, running faster and feeling less overwhelmed by exercise.  

Add hills to your walks/ runs to intensify your workout.
• You can set the bike/ treadmill on any resistance but try nature's own incline and run up a few hills (Botanical Gardens, Kangaroo Point, Toowong anyone?).

Variety in exercise makes training a lot more fun.
• Exercise comes in all shapes and forms, try something different once in a while.  

Find active things for the family to do together.
• When you head to the beach, throw a Frisbee, a vortex or bat & ball in the bag and have fun.
• Don’t forget there’s plenty of beach walks to head off on, shells to collect and rock pools to explore.
• You will also find opportunities to hire a surfboard or take some learn to surf lessons. Do it with the kids or your partner and you will open up a whole new world?
• Grab the bikes and head off for a family ride or plan to meet friends at Southbank, New Farm Park or Kangaroo Point for a picnic and ride there for a nice change.

Keep a Food Diary
• Make yourself accountable by recording everything that you eat and drink in a day. Do this for a week for an accurate record. You will be surprised how you stop and think before you choose to eat something when you have to record it.
• Find one online or download an App that you can carry with you.

Make small swaps in your diet.
• By making small changes we can slowly eliminate the things that shouldn’t be a part of our everyday diet & introduce healthy foods without feeling deprived.

Limit indulgence foods like cakes and chocolates.
• Allow yourself a treat now and then but don't make it habit forming. You can have a cup of tea at night without chocolate.

Eat smaller serves. 
• Share a dessert rather than having your own.
• Don’t overcrowd your plate.
• Use a smaller bowl, particularly for dessert.
• Eat slowly to allow your stomach time to signal it's full. 

Snack Healthy.
• Plan well & you can have a ready-made healthy option rather than chips or chocolate at 3 O'Clock.
• Try fruit (fresh, tinned, dried), cereal bars, nuts, air-popped pop corn, veges and low-fat dips, a tub of low-fat yoghurt.
• Go back to basics.  

Take time to see if you are full before having another helping.
• Doing this prevents us overeating.
• Do I really need to finish off what's left on my child's/ partner's plate?
• Do I need dessert?  

Check the labels on foods and know what they mean.
• Not all products labelled as health foods are good for you.
• We need to look at the sugar and salt content as well as fat content of foods.
• Be mindful of marketing strategies "no fat" "lite" "source of dietary fibre"- will they make a difference to that product?

Consider what you are drinking.
• The hidden kilojoules in what we drink can quickly add up, we need to think about what we are drinking.
• Once there was no choice, drink water or nothing. The choices have changed over time, but as with most things sometimes simplicity is the key.

Make healthy choices when buying take-away foods.
• There are healthy options when it comes to take-away and fast food, we just need to be aware of what to look for.
• To compare take-aways visit: http://www.choice.com.au/reviews-and-tests/food-and-health/food-and-drink/nutrition/the-takeaway-dilemma.aspx

Sign up for one of our Sep/Oct Boot Camps and you can attend multiple sessions at any of our venues every week for a month. You can even do Boot Camp 5 days a week if you want to and you still can attend our Group Boxing and Group Training sessions for free. GREAT DEAL!!!!

We even offer more choices this Spring - try our new Tuesday & Thursday evening sessions at Kangaroo Point Cliffs.


SIGN UP NOW! 

 Ashgrove Sports Ground, Ashgrove (Mon & Wed 5.30am) Sep 24, 26, Oct 3, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22

Botanic Gardens, City (Mon & Wed 5.30pm) Sep 24, 26, Oct 3, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22

Whites Hill Reserve, Coorparoo (Tues & Fri 5.30am) Oct 2, 5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26

Anzac Park, Toowong (Tues & Thurs 5.30am) Oct 2, 4, 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, 25

Kangaroo Point Cliffs, Kangaroo Point (Tues & Thurs 6.00pm) Oct 2, 4, 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, 25

Shaw Park, Kalinga (Tues & Fri 5.30am) Oct 2, 5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26

Botanic Gardens, City (Thurs & Tues 6.00am) Oct 2, 4, 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, 25

Cost is only $120.00 for our previous Boot Campers & $140.00 for those doing Boot Camp for the first time. Click here to enrol online.

With so many of our clients showing an interest in testing their fitness levels with adventure challenges (think mud, electric zaps, 100km walks, exhaustive bike rides, marathon runs) Fitness4 U is excited to announce that we are planning an Xtreme bootcamp to help prepare you for these activities on Sat Oct 13 at 5.30am. Yes, this is your worst nightmare come true. The location will be unvelied soon but it will be close to the Brisbane CBD.  

We are after feedback so if this is something that is right up your alley, and you are keen to test yourself, let us know by clicking on the following link.

Click here to add me to your list of interested participants.

September's Fitness4U legend is Annabelle, a regular dynamo at our Kalinga AND (yes, I said AND) Botanical Gardens Boot Camps.

I joined the Fitness 4 U Kalinga boot camp crew about 3 or so years ago following a recommendation by a work colleague.  The boot camp I'd been doing had run out of steam and I was looking for a new group to join.  Ron didn't immediately accept my enrolment because there was one slight issue that he was concerned with: I was pregnant with my second child.  After a number of email and telephone exchanges going something along the lines of 'are you sure? no, are you really sure?', Ron happily accepted my enrolment.  As with my first pregnancy I kept on boot camping until I was about 8.5 months pregnant and have been back boot camping since my youngest was about 3 months old.  Some might say I was/am crazy for doing this but I was lucky enough to have very easy and problem free pregnancies so I was able to keep very active throughout.  I've been an active person all my life and I think there is a huge benefit in keeping fit and staying active when pregnant (but I know it's not for everyone).

For the last 12 months or so I've been doing theTuesday/Friday morning Kalinga sessions and the Thursday morning Botanic Gardens session. I love the variety of the sessions, the friendly trainers and perhaps most importantly, the camaraderie of the bootcamp crew (particularly the hard core fools that keep going through the winter months). I think my greatest boot camp achievement is managing to do 71 burpees in 3minutes (this achievement is really going to come in handy one day, I'm sure).  My least favourite exercise is crab walking - seriously that is a silly exercise, whoever came up with that one deserves to be shot. My favourite boot camp memories include Paloma trying to teach fellow Kalinga camper John how to stretch his hamstring (she's still trying), fellow Kalinga camper Jeff (I might add this happened all in one morning) turning up half asleep and managing to reverse his car into the park fence and then bringing a baby blanket and corn thins to the session (what the??! surely there must have been alcohol consumed the night before!) and finally, being blinded by extreme OHS conscious Dena's torch. 

I'll sign off by saying the Kalinga boot camp group is rather small and we'd love others to join us.....

Just for Annabelle, this month we have a look at the Crab Walk.

The crab walk puts you in a position that you would never use for non-exercise or daily motion purposes. Balancing on your hands and feet and facing the sky with your hips thrust upwards, the crab walk challenges muscles to work in an unfamiliar way while stretching the muscles together and your body as a whole. Simply maintaining the position is a good workout but taking a few crabby steps back and forward and to either side results in extra strengthening and stretching for a full body workout. A great exercise without equipment.

Muscles used
Triceps, Deltoids, Latissimus Dorsi, Rhomboids, Trapezius, Abdominals, Glutes, Hamstrings.

Key Training Points
- Belly button to spine.
- Flat back.
- Glutes contracted.
- Hips raised.
- Head neutral.
- Hands facing towards feet.

Training Errors
- Dropping hips
- Dropping head
- Hands facing forwards

How To:
1. Sit on ground with arms behind you, hands near your backside and knees bent.
2. Lift body off the ground while maintaining a slight flex in your elbow.
3. Slowly walk hands and feet backwards.

Challenge
Try walking sideways.

Microwaveable Air-Popped Popcorn

This seriously works!

Makes about 5 cups per bag prep <1 min, cook time 2 min
• 3 tbsp popcorn kernels
• paper bag
• stapler or tape if desired

1. Add popcorn kernels to a paper bag or a glass bowl.
2. Close bag. You can fold it over once or twice, you can tape it closed, or you can even staple it. I have stapled it and it worked well. If using a bowl, cover.
3. Microwave the popcorn as usual for approximately 1 1/2 minutes. Once the popping slows to just a few pops per second, turn off the microwave and check. Stay near the microwave as the period between done and burnt is very quick.
4. Open the bag carefully away from you to allow the steam to escape.Season to taste or eat plain. If using a bowl, handle it carefully as it will be hot.

Weight Loss Challenge: Finsbury Park, Wilston (free) Sat 7.00am - 7.45am Sep 15, 22, 29 - Meet Playground

Weight Loss Challenge: Mowbray Park, East Brisbane (free) Sat 7.00am - 7.45am Sep 15, 22, 29 - Meet Playground

Fit Mums: Tarragindi Recreation Reserve, Tarragindi (free) Fri 9.15am - 10.00am Sep 14, 21, 28 - Meet Playground

Be Stronger Live Longer: McCook Park, Newmarket ($3) Mon 9.30am - 10.15am Sep 17 - Meet Playground

Boxing 4 Fun & Fitness: Ashgrove Sports Ground, Ashgrove ($3) Tues 8.30am - 9.15am Sep 11, 18 - Meet Grandstand

Super Seniors: Dunlop Park, Corinda ($3) Wed 10.00am - 10.45am Sep 12, 19 - Meet Playground

Strength & Balance: McEwan Park, Inala ($3) Fri 10.30am - 11.15am Sep 14, 21 - Meet Playground

Boxing 4 Fitness: Kangaroo Point Cliffs, Kangaroo Point ($5) Wed 5.00pm - 5.45pm Sep 12, 19, 26 - Meet Mosaic Square

Introduction to Strength Training: Bradbury Park, Chermside (free) Thurs 9.15am - 10.00am Sep 13, 20, 27 - Meet Playground

Boxing 4 Fitness: Botanic Gardens, City ($5) Thurs 12.15pm - 1.00pm Sep 13, 20, 27 - Meet Albert St Gates

Introduction to Strength Training: Melrose Park, Wooloowin (free) Fri 9.15am - 10.00am Sep 14, 21, 28 - Meet Picnic Area

Kids Activities During School Holidays
Dodge Ball 4 Kids: Dutton Park, Dutton ($2) Mon 9.30am - 10.15am Sep 24 - Meet Playground

Games & Fitness 4 Kids: Brookside Park, Gaythorne (free) Wed 9.30am - 10.15am Sep 26 - Meet Playground

Dodge Ball 4 Kids: WJ Scott Park, Holland Park ($2) Wed 9.30am - 10.15am Sep 26 - Meet Playground

Dodge Ball 4 Kids: Bill Cash Memorial Park, Cannon Hill (free) Thurs 9.30am - 10.15am Sep 27 - Meet Playground

Fun Fitness Circuit 4 Kids: Moore Park, Indooroopilly ($2) Fri 9.30am - 10.15am Sep 28 - Meet Playground

Dodge Ball 4 Kids: Hives Park, Sherwood (free) Wed 9.30am - 10.15am Oct 3 - Meet Ameneties block

Dodge Ball 4 Kids: Alexander Park, Moorooka ($2) Thurs 9.30am - 10.15am Oct 4 - Meet Playground

The Great Race 4 Kids: Anzac Park, Toowong ($2) Fri 9.30am - 10.15am Oct 5 - Meet Playground

Games & Fitness 4 Kids: Robinson Park, Fairfield (free) Fri 9.30am - 10.15am Oct 5 - Meet Playground

Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!” - Robin Williams

"I am sick of four walls and a ceiling. I have need of the sky, I have business with the grass."
Richard Hovey

Well done to those who perservered through the winter months and kept up your training. It will be a while till we see images (frost on exercise mats) like this at training again. The lights are off, the birds are up before us and and it's light enough to see again. We would love to see you dust off your 10 session card and come back down to group training, we are still there, there are maybe even a few new faces to welcome you back.

Check out our session times & join us whenever you can. Cost is $110.00 for 10 sessions or $15.00 a session. 10 session cards may be used for both Group Boxing and Group Training sessions.

No skills required-come learn, have fun & get fit!

What is the difference between a jab? a cross? a hook? Learn how to throw fast, powerful punches with our experienced trainers. Imagine how fast your fitness will improve when you string our combos together with confidence. No time wasted with trying to get the right moves, you will  soon learn the difference from our skilled trainers who will have you doing combos that will take you outside your comfort zone.  Click here for session details.

Why Us? As a personal training client of Fitness4U you can attend any group training and group boxing session for free. Our Boot Camps are offered to you at 1/2 price.

With a team of qualified trainers who regularly get together to discuss techniques, training methods and share ideas we are able to offer individualised programs to help you meet the fitness goals you are looking for. Click here for more information.

Take our 8 week challenge and transform your workplace. Our 8 week challenge has been successfully undertaken by a number of companles in the past twelve months.

Following an initial fitness assesment your staff are set multiple exercise and nutritional challenges over an 8 week period. The success that we've seen comes from the competitive nature that is ingrained in all of us. By having made a very vocal statement by willingly committing to this challenge, colleagues remain committed to the cause.

Click here to read what clients are saying about us.